All's Fair in Love and War
by fictionwriter94
Summary: Everything is word for word as the original, until Chapter 13. Slight profanity, don't like that then don't read. Everyone review! Anonymous reviews welcome
1. Chapter 1

**It's back! I've decided that, since I was going to put the story back up, I'd do some minor rewriting. No major plot changes, just things that I started that didn't continue into the next chapters. I've also given this a T rating, but I will say that there are a few curse words in later chapters, and if you have a problem with the story, tell me before you report it. Please read and review.**

**(Aelita's POV)**

The alarm. I hated that alarm. Another day at Kadic, another morning in science with Mrs. Hertz and another day trying to pretend everythin is alright. My head ached from the rough night of sleep, and I was still having the chest pains that had been going on for nearly a month now. My stomach rumbled as I got dressed for school, choosing a pink hoodie and black skinnies with pink boots, not wanting to wear dresses in the cold. The dorms filled with the sounds of kids waking up and rushing towards the shower, and I was glad I had taken mine last night.

"Aelita, are you coming?" Anais Fiquet called, knocking on the door. We weren't close friends, but she had helped me several times in my time at Kadic.

"I'll be right—" A pain shot through my chest, cutting me off. I inhaled sharply, trying not to scream. The pain went as quickly as it came, and I straightened up, looking at myself in the mirror. My face was pale, but I looked fine. I quickly brushed my hair, though I knew it wouldn't do much good, and grabbed my bag, racing to breakfast.

Jeremie and Odd were already sitting at the usual table, Odd trying to talk Jeremie into giving him his croissant. "Hey Aelita!" Odd looked up, giving me his goofball smile. "Anything on your tray you don't want?"

"No." I slid the tray over to him. "I'm not really hungry.

"You okay, Aelita?" Jeremie asked, concern filling his voice.

I nodded, resting my head on the table. The surface was cold and made me feel slightly better. "Just a little headache. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Nightmares again?" Odd asked quietly.

I nodded, though it was a lie. I hated lying to my friends, but I didn't want them to know I was sick. "Maybe you should go lay down in the infirmary," Jeremie suggested, brushing my hair out of my face. "You feel really warm, you might have caught something."

I shook my head. "Just a little tired is all. Have you seen Ulrich?"

Jeremie's face dropped at the mention of the brunette's name. "I think he went to the gym to practice some Pencak Silat before class."

"I think I'll go pay him a visit."

I got up and left the lunchroom, trying to erase Jeremie's disappointed face from my mind. He had recently discovered that Ulrich and I were in a relationship after he caught us kissing on the Red Trail. I spied Yumi and William talking under the arches, but was too tired to say hi. I finally reached the gym, where Ulrich was practicing his kicks. He looked so beautiful in his black uniform, his muscles showing. He spotted me and smiled, but didn't quit his workout. I made my way over to the bleachers, sitting down on the second row, watching Ulrich until he finally stopped. He grabbed a towel, wiping sweat from his face, and walked over to me, planting a kiss on my cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked almost immediately. "You feel really warm."

I shrugged. "I'm alright."

"Aelita, you don't have to lie to protect my feelings." He lifted my chin so my green eyes matched his grey ones. "Are you okay?"

I stared into his eyes. They were so pretty, one of his best features. "I'm fine."

Ulrich sighed. "Alright. Have you eaten breakfast?"

I groaned, knowing what he was going to say when I said no. "I don't feel like eating."

"Aelita, you need to eat."

"I know!" I shot back, a little louder than I intended. I loved being in a relationship, but Ulrich seemed a little clingy sometimes, a little too caring. There was an awkward moment of silence, and I knew I had upset him. My chest started hurting again but I refused to let it show. "I think I'm gonna go lay down in the infirmary for a bit," I mumbled, deciding to take Jeremie's advice.

"That sounds like a good idea." Ulrich helped me to my feet and wrapped his arm around me, both to keep me from falling and keep my close to him.

As I got to my feet, the room seemed unleveled, everything tilting. "Hello floor," I mumbled, stumbling slightly.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ulrich held me tighter. "Come on. Let's get you to Nurse Yolanda."

He led me out of the gym, my small strides trying to keep up with his larger ones. "Ulrich, stop for a moment." My heart felt like it was skipping beats, twitching in my chest. "I really don't feel well."

I forced myself out of his arms, sitting on the ground. He knelt in front of me, eyes full of worry. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know." I curled up against the pain.

"I can go get someone."

"No, please don't leave!" I cried, reaching out and grabbing his arm. Fear filled his eyes.

"Okay, Princess, I won't go anywhere." He looked around, not letting go of my hand.

"Aelita?" Yumi ran over to us, William following slowly. "Are you okay?"

I wanted to answer, but I felt that I would cry if I did. "I think she's sick," Ulrich answered. "Can you go get Jim or the nurse or something?"

"Sure thing." She turned to William and he nodded, running off. I was glad that she stayed as well. "Aelita, do you want to talk about what's going on?"

I smiled weakly. "Just genetics catching up to me."


	2. Chapter 2

**(Ulrich's POV)**

I paced the waiting room nervously, hating that we weren't allowed to see Aelita yet. Yumi sat cuddled up with William near the window, and Odd played around on Jeremie's laptop. Jeremie sat in the chair, looking just as upset as I was, but not saying anything. He had distanced himself from the rest of the group since finding out that Aelita was with me. I was secretly glad he was here though. Aelita needed him.

My head ached, forcing me into a chair. I had to know how she was doing, what was wrong. She had seemed fine lately, other than being a little tired most of the time. She was cracking jokes and laughing during the ride here. It took all of my strength to keep from hitting something.

"It's been over an hour," Yumi muttered, yawning. "My parents are going to be upset if I don't get home."

"I'll walk you home." William stood up, helping her to her feet. I hated that he was there. He didn't care about Aelita. He just wanted to be with Yumi.

"See you later Yumi," Odd called, not looking up from his game. Jeremie simply nodded his farewell and I gave her a small smile. Despite her relationship with William, I still loved her. Part of me wondered if this was how Jeremie felt.

A doctor entered the room after almost another hour of waiting. He looked around, seeing we were the only ones there. "I take it you are all with Miss Stones?"

Jeremie jumped to his feet. "How is she?"

"She's fine for now. We'll keep her a few more days to run some tests and if all goes well she'll be home by the end of the week." The doctor smiled at us and turned to leave.

"Wait!" I called. "Can we see her?"

For a moment I thought he would say no, but he gave us another smile. "Just keep the noise level down, don't get her too excited, she needs to rest."

I relaxed almost completely, happy that I would get to see my princess. The three of us walked slowly down the hospital halls, none of us wanting to see what condition Aelita lay in. I opened the door slowly and almost wished I hadn't. Aelita lay in the bed, curled up under the covers watching TV. Her face was paler than usual, and she was surrounded by tubes and wires. Despite all this, however, she still smiled when she saw us.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey, Princess," Odd smiled. "What are you doing in a place like this? Not really your style is it, the walls aren't pink enough."

Aelita smiled but didn't say anything, and I could tell she wasn't feeling well at all. "Knock it off a little, huh?" I whispered at Odd. His grin faded, but it didn't stop him from talking.

"So how are you feeling?" Jeremie asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. I didn't like him being so close to her, but I wasn't going to say anything.

"I feel fine." Aelita gave us a weak smile, and I hated that she was lying. Her eyes caught mine and I knew she could tell what I was going to say. "Well, mostly fine. My chest hurts and it's kinda hard to breath."

"Do you want us to get you anything?" Odd asked. "Something to read, something to eat?" He looked towards the food tray and even I had to admit it didn't look very appetizing.

"If you could bring me my homework," she replied. "And some stuff from my room. You can have Yumi go get them." She reached for a notebook and tore out a sheet of paper that she had already scribbled on. I took the piece of paper, sticking it into my pocket.

"So did the doctors say anything?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't try to lie. She shook her head and looked at her hands.

"I'm kind of tired. Do you guys mind if I sleep?"

"Not at all Princess," Odd replied. "We have to get going anyways. Delmas said we had to be back before midnight anyways."

"I'll bring your things in the morning," I mumbled, leaning down to kiss her forehead. I could see Jeremie scowling at us, but ignored him as Odd and I left the room together.

"So you and Aelita," Odd teased for the fourth time that week. "I never pictured you two together."

"Cool it, Odd."

"Come on, I'm just kidding around." He stopped and grabbed my arm. "I know things seem bad, but you saw her in there. She looks fine, the doctors said she was alright, don't worry about it. Besides, you guys have been together for a month, and even you have to admit there weren't any feelings for her before that. All of a sudden she's your world?"

"You don't understand!" I pulled away from him.

"I think I do. You're trying to make up for being rejected by Yumi. Even if it means hurting Jeremie. You knew he loved her."

"That's not it at all." I glared at him, ready to take him down if he said another word. "So what if I didn't show feelings for Aelita before? It just took a while to realize what she means to me."

"Or without Yumi around and Sissi off your case, you chose the only other girl that would talk to you."

I inhaled deeply, not wanting to finish the conversation. Jeremie had appeared in the hall, quietly closing the door to Aelita's room. "Let's go guys, before we get in trouble."

Odd gave me a disapproving look and followed Jeremie. I didn't know if what he was saying was true, but I knew I loved Aelita. At least, I thought I did.


	3. Chapter 3

**(Jeremie's POV)**

"I'll bring your things in the morning," Ulrich said, kissing Aelita's forhead. I hated seeing someone treat her like that, but I knew I had my chance. Ulrich and Odd left the room, not bothering to wait for me. I didn't mind. I wanted to talk to Aelita anyways.

"So," I started, rubbing the back of my head. "Are you really happy with him?"

Aelita shrugged. "I don't really want to talk about this right now."

"I have to know, though," I tried to keep calm, but I felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest. "If you want me to leave, I will."

"Please don't!" Aelita looked like she was about to jump out of the bed and I grew scared. The last thing I wanted was to upset her.

"Aelita, just tell me what you want." I sat down on the bed next to her and took her hands in mine.

"I don't know." She was close to tears. "I love you, Jeremie, but sometimes you're just so—"

I closed my eyes, not sure if I wanted to hear anymore. "Aelita, I know I'm not the perfect guy, but I can be anything you want."

"I want to be put before your computer," she answered quietly. "Any time I want to do something, it's like I have to break your arm to do it. When I had my concerts, you were always working on something."

"Aelita, Lyoko is gone now. I can make more time for you."

"You never tried until you realised that I wasn't just going to stay with you because you saved me from Lyoko. Ulrich tries. I know it's not the best relationship, honestly it's a little awkward sometimes, but it's more than what you gave me."

I brushed my hair from my face, not sure how to explain what was going through my mind. "I've never loved anyone before. I never really understood what I was supposed to do. I know we fight, we never really see eye-to-eye on some things and I guess I do tend to get caught up in my work, but that doesn't mean I don't love you and want to try and make this work."

Aelita shrugged. "You had almost two years."

"Please, just give me another chance. Maybe not right now, but don't just settle with Ulrich. He's just using you to get over Yumi."

The look of hurt on Aelita's face broke my heart. She suddenly rolled over, facing away from me. "Just go."

I shrugged and got up, not entirely sure what I had done wrong this time but not wanting to make it any worse. Odd and Ulrich stood talking quietly in the hallway, and almost immediately I could feel the tension between them. "Let's go guys, before we get in trouble."


	4. Chapter 4

**(Aelita's POV)**

Hospitals were boring. I could only remember being in the hospital when the supercomputer battery was dying, and even then I had been bored unless someone was around. It was past midnight now, so the place was fairly quiet other than the occasional scream of pain or a child's cry. I wrapped the pillow around my head, hoping to drown out the noise, but to no avail. I groaned loudly in frustration, already missing my dorm room. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to at least relax since sleep was nearly impossible.

"_What about when she gets older?"_

"_She'll be fine, Dear. Medical science is advancing quickly, by the time this affects her there will already be a way to cure it."_

"Mommy?" I called out to the darkness. "Daddy?"

I knew the voices were in my mind, but something made me call out. What was that memory? I closed my eyes again but the memory wasn't going to come back. My heart shuddered in my chest, causing me to curl up into a ball of pain and setting of an alarm from one of the machines. There was a rush of footsteps and someone shouting, but I was too focused on trying not to cry. Someone was trying to pull me from my position, two people pinning my legs to the bed and two people pinning my arms. A mask was forced over my mouth and the air tasted funny. There was a pinch in my arm and within seconds, I felt relaxed, almost dizzy.

"Aelita? Can you hear me?" Someone shined a light in my eye. I wanted to push their hand away but I couldn't move.

"I want my mommy," I muttered mindlessly.

"_I'm here, Lita darling."_

I couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, and the fact that I couldn't lift my head to try and find it was enough to send a couple tears from my eyes. As quickly as it came, I was able to move again, though I felt different. It hadn't passed in a mere few minutes, however, but almost two hours. I looked around the room, tired but my chest no longer hurting. A doctor sat in a chair in the corner, scribbling on a clipboard, his eyes practically glued to the machines connected to me.

"I'm hungry," I mumbled. The man jumped, staring at me for a moment before smiling.

"Welcome back!"

I frowned. "I didn't go anywhere."

He shrugged. "I guess to you you didn't. But to me it looked like you were stoned out of your mind, sleeping with your eyes open or something of the sort. Kind of like being hypnotized. It took the pain away though, didn't it?"

I stared at him, not sure what I was hearing. The man was completely insane. "Can I get something to eat?"

"Sorry, kiddo. Not until that stuff leaves your system. Don't need you zoning back out and choking." He walked over to me, shining a light in my eye. I swatted his hand away, glaring at him. "Feisty little thing, aren't you? Matches your hair."

"My hair is pink."

"Really? Looks red in this light." He held my wrist in his hand, staring at his watch. "So how long has your heart been hurting?"

"It's nothing. Can I go home soon?" The lack of sleep and explanations was starting to get to me and I was growing incredibly irritated with this man.

"Why are you so angry?"

I stared at my hands. I wasn't angry really, I was just scared. Jeremie had pointed out before that when I got scared I lashed out or ran away. I never really noticed until someone pointed it out though. I shrugged, curling up under my blankets, not wanting to talk anymore. "Can I just go to sleep?"

"Sure."

"What's your name again?" I asked with a yawn.

"I'm Dr. Schroeder."

I giggled, thinking how similar Schroeder and Schaeffer sounded in my drugged mind. I could feel myself falling into a deep sleep, unsure if it was the drugs or if I was actually that tired. Whatever it was, though, it felt great.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"_Here, Aelita!" Jeremie handed me a box wrapped in metallic pink paper, a large maroon bow on the top._

"_What is it?" I asked, though I knew all I had to do was open it to find out._

"_It's a present. You've lived on Earth for a year now. Think of it like a birthday." He smiled at me, blushing a little._

_I opened the gift, Jeremie using his dorm key to cut the tape on the box. Inside was a series of small gifts, ranging from a cute keychain to an iPod touch. Movies, my favourite candy, a stuffed bear. "Thank you Jeremie!" I laughed, hugging him._

"_I didn't know what to get you, so I got a little of everything." He hugged me back._

_Suddenly, things started shifting. It wasn't Jeremie anymore, but Ulrich. I stepped back, not sure what I should do, or if I could do anything at all. I was glad Ulrich was here, but I wanted Jeremie back._

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"Aelita?"

I forced my eyes opened, blinking back the sleep. Jeremie and Ulrich both stood over me, odd looks on their faces. "Hey guys," I smiled sleepily at them. "What's going on?"

"Here, Aelita," Jeremie grabbed a napkin from my breakfast tray. "Your nose is bleeding."

"Really?" I grabbed the napkin, wiping at my nose. There wasn't much, but it still made me feel ill.

"I brought the things you asked for," Ulrich said, holding up my maroon satchel. I smiled beneath the napkin, though my mind was elsewhere. "Do you want anything else?"

I shook my head, ignoring the growing pain in my heart. I couldn't look at Ulrich, because I didn't know what I would feel, and I didn't want to look at Jeremie because I knew how exactly I would feel. I loved Ulrich, he had opened up a whole new world that Jeremie was too preoccupied to show me, but it didn't change anything that had already happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Odd's POV)**

I sat cross-legged at the foot of Aelita's bed, pulling food from the paper bag I had brought in. The tray next to her bed lay untouched, Aelita declaring it to be revolting on the third day. I knew she had to eat though. "Here you go, Princess. One hamburger and the greasiest fries in all of France."

"Yeah, because that'll help my heart," Aelita said with a laugh. She tore open packet after packet of ketchup and munched happily on the cheap meal. "Thanks a lot, Odd, this is great."

"Anything for a starving friend." I watched her quietly, slightly amused by the fact she was eating at a fast speed than I was. "So, any word on what's going on?"

Aelita put her food down, growing depressed. It had been almost a week since she had ended up here, and she never wanted to talk about it with the group. "Just more tests, you know?"

I rested my elbows on my knees and my chin on my hands. "Ae, you need to talk to us."

Aelita shrugged. "It's no big deal, I'll be out soon."

"Come on," I pleaded. She merely shook her head and I sighed. "I know you don't want to be a burden on anyone, and you don't want us to worry about you, but none of that's true."

She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. "If I tell you, you can't tell anyone, alright? I don't want pity, I don't want to be treated differently."

I nodded. "I won't tell a soul."

She reached towards her tray, grabbing a napkin and coughing into it. She held it towards me, revealing the dark red that stained the white paper. "I'm dying, Odd."

I almost fell off the edge of the bed. "Aelita! What the hell is that?"

"Quiet, Odd!"

I couldn't contain my emotions though. My heart was beating so fast I almost believed it would burst from my chest. My eyes stung from the growing tears, and a lump formed in my throat. "Aelita…"

"It's okay Odd, I promise."

"How do you know?" I asked, forcing back the tears.

"My parents used to talk about it when I was younger. It's pretty common for people on my mother's side to have heart cancer. If the men in black hadn't taken her, the illness would've. That's why I never put forth any interest in finding her."

"I didn't know something like this could be passed down." I felt like I was going to be sick. Aelita shrugged, jumping out of bed and retrieving a trash can for me.

"Throw up in there," she muttered. "It probably doesn't make much sense. But it's okay."

"You're dying and it's okay?" I yelled, leaning over the trash can just in time. Aelita winced but remained silent. I wiped my mouth and sat back, eyeing the water on her lunch tray. "Do you mind?"

She shook her head and I took the water. My mind was reeling with questions, thoughts about what I just learnt. There was a knock at the door and we both looked up. A doctor entered the room, a clipboard in hand and a nurse at his heels. "It's time for your medicine, Aelita," he said cheerfully. A nurse handed her a small paper cup and she took it with a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

Aelita shrugged. "Tired."

"I see." The doctor turned to me. "I think it's best if you left. Aelita needs her rest."

I nodded, getting up slowly and kissing Aelita on the cheek. I felt numb. "I'll be back later, Princess," I mumbled, my voice incredibly hoarse. She gave me a large smile and curled up beneath her blankets, and as I closed the door I saw her drifting off.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"Hey, Odd, where have you been?" Ulrich asked. I closed the door behind me, leaning against it and sliding to the floor. Kiwi walked over, pawing at my leg and whimpering. I curled up and burst into tears, my fists clenching my hair and my teeth biting into my knee. Anything to make myself hurt other than my heart. Aelita was dying and it finally hit me. Ulrich jumped from his bed, kneeling beside me. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't tell him. I had promised Aelita. Instead, I did the next best thing and hugged him. I knew Ulrich didn't like physical contact, but he didn't push me away. He knew something serious was wrong. He just didn't know that it was with the girl he loved. "I'm so s-sorry, Ulrich," I sobbed. I hated myself for breaking down. It was entirely unlike me. But I couldn't take anymore. Battling XANA, watching my friends die without knowing if Jeremie could get them back in the end. This was the last straw, and it was killing me.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Jeremie's POV)**

I tossed and turned under the covers, growing even more uncomfortable as the time passed. My room seemed incredibly hot, but when I threw off the covers or took off my pyjamas, it seemed like an ice age. My phone buzzed with a call and I realised I wasn't the only one having a rough night. "Aelita? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I can't sleep," she muttered. She sounded like she had been crying.

"Are you alright?" I asked, sitting up in my bed.

"Yeah." I could tell she was lying. "Were you sleeping?"

"No. Why didn't you call Ulrich? Is he asleep?" I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice, remembering what had happened the last time I brought him up.

"I wanted to talk to you…"

"Oh." This surprised me, though deep down I almost expected it. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'm just lonely." There was a long moment of silence, in which I swore I could hear Aelita crying. "Jeremie, I love you."

My heart skipped a beat. "Really?"

"I don't know. Part of me still loves you."

"And the other part?" I asked. There was another pause.

"The other part still loves Ulrich."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Because he listens to me and lets me do normal things without making me feel stupid." I knew for sure she was crying this time. "I'm so grateful f-for all you've done. The virtualization, the v-virus, making sure I had a life on Earth, it was all so amazing and nobody will ever give me anything that great."

"Aelita, calm down, you're going to set off the alarms." My heart was racing now. I didn't want her freaking out and making her health worse, but I had to know what she was saying.

"I'm fine," she said with a final sob. "Please come see me."

"Aelita, it's the middle of the night. I can't leave." I ran my hand through my hair, sleep finally catching up to me. "Why don't you ask for some meds or something? Get some rest. Tomorrow is Sunday, we'll come see you in the morning and spend the day, okay?"

"Okay…goodnight, Jeremie," she mumbled.

"Goodnight, Aelita," I replied quietly, hanging up the phone.

_Jeremie, I love you._

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"Hey, Einstein, you okay?" Ulrich asked as I sat down with my breakfast. "You look awful."

"I couldn't sleep last night, and Aelita called me freaking out."

"Aelita called you?" Ulrich was surprised. "What was she freaking out about?"

"Just stuff. Bad dreams I guess." I rested my chin on my hands, thinking about the real reason behind the call. Suddenly, someone at the end of the table grabbed my attention. His head lay on the table and he was staring blankly across the room. "Odd, are you okay?"

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Don't bother, he's been like that since he got back from seeing Aelita yesterday."

I got up and walked over to him, shaking his shoulder. "Odd, snap out of it. What's wrong?"

Odd shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

I shrugged. "You know, ever since Aelita ended up in the hospital, we all seem to be falling apart. Come on guys, this is when she needs us most."

"Forget it Jeremie, we were falling apart before that." Ulrich pushed his tray away, folding his arms in front of him. "Yumi is hardly around anymore, she's always with William, you sit in front of your computer when you aren't in class, and he's either asleep or running around town." He motioned towards Odd, who was now sitting up listening to the conversation.

"Well that has to change." I grabbed my tray, not irritated but upset. "I'm going to see Aelita. You guys want to go?"

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me to go see my girlfriend," Ulrich sneered. I still wasn't going to say anything. Not while I knew Aelita's true feelings. Odd got up and followed us out of the lunchroom.

"Hey, guys, wait up!"

We all stopped and turned, spotting Yumi running towards us. "Hey, Yumi," I greeted. Ulrich gave her a little wave and Odd was as unresponsive as he had been.

"You heading to see Aelita?" she asked as we started walking again.

"Yep. Gonna drop off some of her work from this week and hang around for the day," Ulrich said, holding up the small stack of papers he had gathered from the teachers.

"Cool," Yumi smiled. "Hey, what's up with him?" she whispered to me, motioning towards Odd, who was dragging along behind us.

"I dunno, something's bummed him out." I shrugged. I looked back at him and stopped. "Odd, seriously, what's wrong?"

Odd had stopped walking, staring at the ground in front of him. "Guys, Aelita told me not to say anything, but I can't do it, I don't want to keep it to myself because it hurts too much. Aelita…Aelita's dying."

"What?!" We all said at once.

"She made me promise not to tell." Odd was tearing up now. "Aelita's got cancer."

I felt like my legs were going to give out. "You're lying."

Odd glared at me with his tear-streaked face. "Why would I lie about this?"

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't breathe. "Th-That's not true," I cried, trying to keep my balance. It was a wasted effort, however, and I hit the ground with full force.

_Jeremie, I love you._


	7. Chapter 7

**(Ulrich's POV)**

I stared at my phone screen, still hesitating to press the call button. I had been debating this in my mind for almost four hours, thinking up how I was going to ask for such a big favour. Finally, I forced myself to press send and put the phone to my ear, my heart racing with every ring. "Hello?" a gruff voice answered.

"Hi dad," I greeted, trying not to sound so unhappy to have to talk to him.

"Ulrich?" He was incredibly surprised. "What's going on?"

"Well, I made B's on my last few tests, my girlfriend has been helping me study."

"Well I'm glad you found someone worth something." I didn't like the tone in his voice, I knew he was suggesting that anyone who was smarter than me was way too good for me, implying once again that I was his worthless son.

"Dad, I have a favour to ask." I gulped, staring at the ground in front of me. He wasn't even around and I was scared as hell. "Can I borrow some money?"

The was a long pause, making me check my phone twice to make sure he hadn't cut me off. "What for?"

I took a deep breath. This was going to take quite some convincing. "My friend has cancer. She's an orphan, so we're trying to help raise money."

"I'm sure the system will help her." He was going to hang up on me.

"Dad, wait!" There was no way I would give up so easily. "Take it out of my allowance if you have to. I just really need your help. I'll get a job and pay it all back, I swear."

"How about get a job and pay it yourself. It's about time you learnt some responsibility."

"You would help if I was Klaus!" I shouted. My older brother was undoubtedly my father's favourite, able to get anything that he wanted without any questions asked. "I never ask anything from you, and believe it or not I do my best to live up to your expectations. Everyone is pitching in to help, we only need a few hundred more, and that's nothing compared to what you make in a day. But if you want to continue to be the bitter old man that you are, just remember who's going to take care of you when you get old. And I can guarantee it won't be you're precious Klaus."

I hung up, not entirely sure what I had just done. That was not at all what I had planned, and I had accomplished nothing besides pissing off Dad and raising my blood pressure. I dug through the drawer beneath my bed, searching for my money. Being the son of a business man, I knew how to handle money better than anything, and knew that Mom had a tendency to send way more than I needed for my weekly allowance. I finally found the white envelope pressed against the back wall, pulling out the wad of cash I had collected over my years of attending one boarding school after another. I sat in my floor, counting out each bill and coin.

"It's not enough." I could feel a lump coming into my throat. I pulled my knees to my chest, trying not to cry. I wasn't going to let Aelita die because we couldn't pay for her treatment. The door opened and Odd walked in, Yumi following with a wooden box in hand. Odd looked at the money laid out on the floor.

"What's this?"

"It's what I've saved up, I was hoping it would help to pay off Aelita's medical bills." I wiped my nose on my sleeve, trying to get myself together. Odd sat down, digging a piece of paper from his pocket.

"My parents sent this this morning, and I have a little left from my allowance." He tossed the check on the floor with my money, and Yumi did the same.

"We set up a donation box in the lunch room. A lot of teachers and students gave a contribution." She sat down and unlocked the box, dumping the contents into the floor. While a lot of us weren't very popular among certain students, Aelita was well liked by everyone, and the proof was in the amount of money strewn across the floor.

"Delmas and Hertz wrote checks," Odd said, picking up the pieces of paper. "They were pretty generous about it too."

"Do you think it's enough?" I asked, looking at it all.

"Well, according to Delmas, there's been a school fund building for years to help students who don't have any family or anyone to help in special cases. Apparently it hasn't been touched in years so there's plenty to help with the bills but he says we still need to raise money before we ask for more," Yumi said, sorting the checks from the bills. "We'll set up the box again tomorrow, maybe we'll get some more."

I sighed, getting to my feet. "Any word on how Jeremie is?"

"He has a small concussion but he's fine," Odd replied. "Oh, and his parents are sending a huge check so we may have enough after all."

"Is he still in the infirmary?" I asked, putting my shoes on.

"Actually, he was in his room last I checked," Yumi said, getting up as well. "Come on, we'll all go see him. It'll make him feel better."

Odd gathered the money into the box, locking it and putting it in the wardrobe. "Can we get some lunch soon? I'm starving."

"Sure," I muttered, locking the door. Jeremie's room was only a few doors down, not giving much time for conversation. Yumi knocked on the door, opening it a crack.

"Jeremie, are you feeling alright?"

Jeremie sat at the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. "I can't save her guys. This isn't like Lyoko where I can type in some computer programme and everything will be okay. It's out of my hands."

Odd sat next to him, putting his arm around him. "It'll be okay. These guys know what they're doing."

"It's not fair."

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to hear him cry. I knew I'd start crying too, and so would the others. "It's okay," I finally managed to say, my voice cracking. "We're getting the money together, she'll get the treatment she needs and she'll be fine."

"Jeremie, you need to calm down." Yumi knelt in front of him, her hand on his shoulder. "You're still getting over that concussion, you're going to make things worse."

"I don't care," he said with a sob. "Until Aelita gets better, then I don't care."

I turned away, trying to block out all the emotion that was filling the room. _Aelita is going to be fine,_ I thought. _She has to be._


	8. Chapter 8

**(Aelita's POV)**

"_Mommy, I don't feel good," I mumbled, curling up in Mommy's lap. She petted my hair, kissing my forehead._

"_What's wrong, Lita?" She asked._

"_I feel funny."_

"_How so?"_

_I looked up at her, pointing to my chest. "I hurt right here. On the inside."_

_Mommy looked scared. "How bad does it hurt?"_

_I shrugged. Mommy picked me up, carrying me to Daddy's study. I wasn't allowed here, because Daddy wanted to be left alone to work. "Waldo, Aelita said her chest hurts."_

_Daddy stood up, taking something shiny out of his desk drawer and walking over to us. I couldn't remember what the thing was. Stephascope? Daddy put the metal disk on my chest and waited. "Do you think it could be starting?"_

_Mommy looked worried. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I didn't like seeing them worry. "I suppose it's possible, though I've never known it to start so early."_

"_Mommy?" I looked up at her, hoping she would tell me something. "What's going on?"_

"Mommy?" I opened my eyes. I was still in the hospital, I was still alone, and my chest still hurt. I looked around, my eyes adjusting to the early morning lighting of the room. Ulrich was sleeping in the chair, and Jeremie had taken his place on the couch beneath the window. It wasn't often I had company through the night, but with today being a holiday and school being closed, Delmas had allowed it. Ulrich stirred in his seat and I knew he was starting to wake up.

"Good morning, Princess," he mumbled, looking towards me. The room was growing steadily brighter with the rising sun, and it would only be a matter of minutes until Jeremie was awake too. Ulrich got up, walking over and laying down in the bed next to me. I tried moving over, making sure he had enough room.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked, nuzzling close. He was warm, and had that cute "just woke up" look about him.

"I slept alright. The chair wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." He kissed the top of my head. "How are you feeling though?"

I shrugged, not wanting to bother him with my pains. Jeremie muttered in his sleep, warning that he was going to be awake soon. "I'm kinda hungry. Think you can go get me something from the vending machines?" I asked, looking up at Ulrich. It only took a week of dating to know that if I looked at him just right, he wouldn't say no.

"Want me to get a nurse to bring you a breakfast tray?" he asked, and I could tell he didn't want to leave with Jeremie so close to waking up.

"I'm not that hungry right now. Just something to get me through the day is all." I kissed him on the cheek, hoping that was enough motivation for him. He sighed and got up, leaving without another word. As soon as the door closed behind him, Jeremie sat up on the couch.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked, reaching for his glasses and blinking at me through the now bright sunlight.

"I dunno," I shrugged.

"Sounds like you had a bad dream." He jammed his hands in his pockets, and I could almost feel the awkwardness in the air. "Do you want me to stay or give you and him some room?"

I shrugged. I didn't really know what I wanted. "Why don't you go back to the school? Grab something to eat, get some fresh air, maybe catch up on your homework."

Jeremie shrugged and, without question, gathered up his laptop and other various things and left. It hurt me that he was so distant, but then again, I was too. I reached for my bag that sat on the floor next to my bed, filled with the various items I had asked for at the beginning of my stay here. The maroon journal and my iPod were my main comforts anymore. I turned on my collection of Lindsey Stirling songs, blasting them as loud as they would go, and opened my journal to the first blank page.

_I don't really want to talk about what's going on with me physically. The idea of cancer still terrifies me, and I'm just not ready to discuss it. My mind is more occupied with feelings anyways. Feelings for Ulrich, and feelings for Jeremie._

_I love how sweet Ulrich can be. But sometimes I feel like the emotions aren't really there. There isn't that little spark I sometimes felt with Jeremie. I mean, I feel like he loves me, I'd like to think that he does and that Jeremie is wrong about him using me to run away from his feelings for Yumi. But sometimes the connection between us doesn't feel right. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough._

_I know Jeremie is still hurting. He tries so hard to keep his place as the only person in my life. Sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong choice, then I think about all the times he's yelled at me, especially over stupid things. It seems like the more I know about living on Earth, the less the likes me. I think he liked me better when we all thought I was just a computer programme. Maybe that's why he's always in front of his computer. He loves computers, he thought I was one, and since I'm not, maybe that's just changed the way he sees me. Maybe things will work out one day, and I'll be with who I'm supposed to be with. I mean, I'm only fourteen. I'm not even supposed to be worried about these things._

Ulrich returned with a bag of chips and a Dr. Pepper. "It isn't exactly the healthiest breakfast, but I figured why not?" he said with a laugh, setting the snack on the table by my bed. "What are you listening to?"

"Just some music." I turned the iPod off, putting it and my journal back in my bag.

"Sounded good," he mumbled, sitting down in the chair next to me. I stared at him, studying his face. He was handsome, everyone knew that. He had hardly left my side since my first day here, and I could tell by his face that he worried about me. "Do you love me, Aelita?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" The question had mentally tripped me, I didn't know what to think or say.

"Do you?"

I looked at him. He was always so emotionless. "Yes."

"Are you sure?" he asked. I nodded and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine. It was weird kissing him. Not a bad weird, just something that didn't happen too often. "I love you, Aelita. I want you to know that. I know I'm not great at showing it, but it's true."

I stared at my hands, not sure what to say or do. Ulrich sighed, turning on the TV. We sat there for what seemed like hours, watching cartoons in silence. There was a knock at the door and Odd walked in, his hands behind his back. "Hey Princess, how are you doing?"

I rolled my eyes, growing tired of the question. He gave me his goofball smile and pulled his hands from behind his back, revealing the small pink bear he was holding. "Odd, it's so cute," I laughed, taking it from him. Sewn across the bear's chest in maroon letters was "Get Well Soon". I smiled and hugged Odd, happy for the gift. "Thank you. I like it."

The machine next to my bed beeped and almost immediately I felt the pain in my heart. I refused to let on that I was hurting; I didn't want to worry them. Instead, I reached out and pressed a button on one of the machines that was supposed to release some sort of pain killer. In a matter of seconds, the pain subsided and I felt a little better.

"Are you okay, Aelita?" Ulrich asked. "You're shaking, and you're white as a ghost."

I nodded, unable to find my voice. I had a bad taste in my mouth, like copper. I groaned, hating that this was happening while there were people around. I swallowed back the blood, cringing at the taste. "I think I'm gonna be sick." I managed to get the words out in time for Ulrich to thrust a trash can below my head. I hated being sick, it was a revolting thing. I just wanted to be back in my dorm where I belonged.

"_Mommy, make the pain go away."_


	9. Chapter 9

**(Odd's POV)**

I walked through the store, looking at the shelves of things I wanted to buy for my friends. It was almost Christmas, and I wanted to cheer everyone up. Especially Aelita, who had already been in the hospital for three weeks now. They had preformed the final test needed yesterday, and she would start chemo treatment tomorrow. I was glad she would start getting better, and that we had raised the money needed without having to dip into the school's fund. I just hated what was going to start happening to her. Yolanda had explained to us that Aelita would get sicker before she got better, and while I dreaded that happening, I was glad to think she'd get well again.

I managed to find a new journal for Yumi, knowing her old one was growing increasingly full after seeing her write in it the other day. I had no idea what to get Ulrich, and the fact that I was being serious about presents this year was making the decision harder. I finally gave up, deciding I'd be better off spending time with Aelita than wasting time looking for presents that I needed to put more thought into. I paid for the journal and left the store, walking through the streets of Paris. The shops were filled with various items, none of which I thought good enough for my friends.

"Huh?" Something shiny caught my eye and I stopped. I had found the perfect gift for Aelita. I dug the remaining money from my pockets, knowing I would have to wait until my next allowance before I could buy gifts for Jeremie and Ulrich, but it was worth it.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

Aelita lay sleeping on her bed, her skin whiter that it had ever been. She was surrounded by machines and wires, and the sight of her made my stomach turned. I hated knowing she was so sick and there was nothing we could do . It had only been twenty-four hours, and the chemo was already starting to take its toll on her. She had already thrown up once, and refused to eat no matter how much we begged. My Christmas gift to her bulged in my pocket. There was still two weeks until the holidays, but I didn't want to wait.

Aelita groaned, and I couldn't tell if she was about to cry or not. I got up, walking over to her bedside, pushing her pink hair back. She skin was cold but she felt clammy. "Aelita?"

"It hurts," she groaned, her face scrunched up in pain. Having had an uncle who was on chemo treatment before, I knew which button to push to release the pain meds. Aelita's face relaxed and she looked up at me with her mint-green eyes. "Hi, Odd," she said with a weak smile.

"Hey, Princess," I smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," she giggled. "Everything hurts."

"Yeah, I heard radiation can do that. Maybe after this is over you'll get some mutant powers, you can join the X-Men."

"I don't think it's that type of radiation," she mumbled, attempting to sit up.

"There's different types of radiation?"

"Probably not but I don't think I'll end up with mutant powers." Her eyes shifted to my pocket. "What's that?"

I pulled the small box out, handing it to her. "I know I should probably wait, but I figured what the hell, you know? Merry Christmas."

She opened the box, revealing a small silver locket with a pink stone rose in the centre. "Odd, it so pretty!"

"Open it," I grinned. She did so, revealing a picture of her parents on one side and a much younger, almost infantile picture of her on the other. I had spent almost four hours at the Hermitage trying to find pictures that would be good enough, and it appeared my efforts paid off.

"Odd…" Aelita's voice was barely a whisper. "Thank you."

I bent over, giving her a small hug. "Just trying to lighten the mood around here, Princess. I hate seeing everyone so down about everything."

"It's perfect. Just what I needed." She winced, her hand flying to her chest.

"Are you okay?" I asked, alarmed.

"Yeah. It comes and goes, no big deal."

"Aelita, are you sure you're okay?"

Aelita laid back on her pillow, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, I just wanna rest for a little while." She closed her eyes, and in a matter of seconds, the alarms went off.

"Aelita!"

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

I sat in my dorm room, holding the small box containing Aelita's Christmas present. I didn't want to chance anyone talking it while she was in the ICU, and she wasn't allowed to wear it because the metal would affect the MRI machines she was constantly being put into. I let out a sigh, practically ignoring the dog laying at my feet.

Ulrich lay on his bed, facing the wall, and I wasn't sure if he was asleep or just incredibly upset. Jeremie sat at my desk chair, his chin resting on his hands, staring blankly at the floor. Almost surprisingly enough, Yumi was there, laying in the middle of the floor, tossing Kiwi's tennis ball repeatedly into the air and catching it upon return. None of us wanted to go to class today, and the teachers were excusing us anyways, given the circumstances.

"What do we do, guys?" Yumi asked sadly, sitting up in her spot.

"What can we do?" Jeremie mumbled, almost glaring at her. "This isn't XANA. We can't run and deactivate a tower and make it all better."

"We have to do something. She's getting worse by the second."

"Maybe it's just a fluke," I muttered, looking up at the two. "You know, like they said. She'll get worse before she gets better. Maybe this is what they were talking about."

"It's been one day," Yumi replied, shaking her head. "I don't think she would've gotten this bad so fast."

I shrugged. "I'm not gonna stop hoping. Aelita can make it. She's pulled through worse."

"Will you guys shut up!" Ulrich yelled, sitting up in his bed. "It's not going to help anything, sitting here talking about it, so just shut up!"

Tears streamed down his face, and he had a look about him I had never seen before. He pressed his fist against his forehead, pulling his knees to his chest. "Ulrich…"

"Just shut up, Odd."

Yumi got up from the floor, sitting next to him on his bed and wrapping her arm around him. "She'll get better Ulrich. We just have to give it some time."

"What if she doesn't?"

Yumi looked at Jeremie and I, her face begging for help. "We're here to help each other get through this. If Aelita doesn't make it…we'll be here to help. You're not alone in this."

I got up, sitting on the other side of my roommate. "And when she gets better, we'll all be stronger than ever having to deal with this. Besides, after a few years of fighting XANA, I don't think something as small as cancer can stop us."

Jeremie stood up and took a seat next to Yumi. "We have to stay strong for Aelita, that's the most important part right now."

Ulrich shrugged. "What's the point? We aren't even allowed to go and see her right now."

"No, but she'll be out in like a week," I shrugged, "and by then that chemo is gonna be hitting her pretty hard, she's really going to need some support. That's where we come in, right?"

Ulrich gave us a small smile. "Right." He frowned, and his smile faded almost as quickly as it appeared. "Guys?" he sounded nervous. "What are we going to do when Aelita's hair falls out?"

There was an awkward silence among us. Jeremie scratched the back of his head, Yumi looked at the floor, and I scratched Kiwi behind the ears hoping to avoid the conversation. Nobody wanted to think about this part of the Princess's treatment. Especially when we would have to explain to her why her pink locks had fallen out.

Yumi smiled, shrugging. "Guess we'll just buy her a wig. Maybe she can have blue hair this time."

I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of a blue-haired Aelita, and suddenly things didn't seem so bad. Sure, Aelita was in the hospital, but take that out of the equation and we were pretty well off if we still managed to laugh. In the back of my mind I knew, whether Aelita pulled through or not, we would be okay in the end.


	10. Chapter 10

**(Aelita's POV)**

"_Mommy?"_

"_I'm here, Lita."_

"_Mommy, why does it hurt?"_

"_I don't know, darling."_

"_Will it get better?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_Make it go away, Mommy."_

"_I wish I could, Aelita."_

"_Where am I? It's too dark, I can't see anything."_

"_You're just sleeping."_

"_But then why can't I wake up?"_

"_Because you aren't ready to be awake yet."_

"_Okay, Mommy."_

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"_Mommy?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I've been asleep for a long time. Can I wake up yet?"_

"_Not yet."_

"_Why not? I miss my friends. I want to see them."_

"_You'll wake up soon. I promise."_

"_Where's Daddy?"_

"_He's not here yet."_

"_Oh…are we dead, Mommy?"_

"_Almost."_

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"_It doesn't hurt as much, Mommy."_

"_I know, Aelita."_

"_Will you tell me a story?"_

"_Maybe later. It's almost time for you to wake up."_

"_I don't want to wake up though. I like it here."_

"_You have to wake up, darling."_

"_But it hurts when I'm awake."_

"_It will be better."_

"_Please, don't leave me, Mommy."_

"_I won't, Aelita. I'll be right here."_

"_Promise?"_

"_I promise."_

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

I opened my eyes, blinking against the bright light of the room. Everything started coming into focus, and I grew scared. My body felt heavy and weak, almost as if someone was sitting on me. I wanted to talk, but something was in my mouth. More tubes, more wires, more needles and more machines.

"Well, hello there!" Dr. Schroeder greeted cheerfully, shining a light in my eyes. "You've been asleep for about four days now. How are you feeling?"

Since I lacked the ability to talk, the most I could do was glare at him. He apparently found it amusing, laughing a little. I attempted to move my arm, but it hurt too much. I hated that I couldn't move, and Dr. Schroeder must have noticed.

"You'll be feeling much better in a few days. Your heart stopped for a while there." I tried to think back, but my mind wouldn't go any further than waking up in the bright room. "Do you want me to take the tube out?" he asked. "Looks like you'll be fine without it."

I managed a small nod and closed my eyes, not wanting to watch. Within seconds he had the tube out, and I tried not to gag. "Where are my friends?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"School, I suppose. It's Friday."

"They aren't here?"

"Sorry, kiddo. No visitors in the ICU anyways."

ICU? I looked around the room again, noticing how full of machines it was. There was a glass wall that revealed the rest of the ICU floor, which was packed with medical staff rushing around. "When can I leave?" I asked, growing terrified of the thought of being in the ICU.

"We'll keep you here for another night and put you back in your old room tomorrow. You're really going to have to take it easy though," he warned. "We don't need a repeat of this. You might not pull out of it next time."

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

My night in the ICU was rough. It seemed almost as if all the people did was scream, when I just wanted to sleep. "Will you guys all just shut up?" I grumbled into my pillow, growing irritated.

"_Aelita?"_

I jerked up at the sound of the voice. "Mommy?"

"_Aelita, come here."_

"No, Mommy, I can't." The idea of moving seemed impossible. My arms and legs were far too heavy to lift, and I was connected to so many machines that I was sure if I even thought of getting out of bed the nurses would come running.

"_Aelita, you have to."_

"Why?" I answered, looking around. It bothered me that she was trying to get me to leave the one place that was keeping me safe.

"_Because it's time to go."_

What? I closed my eyes, trying to block out her voice. My own mother, telling me it was time to die? I wasn't going to listen anymore. She wasn't my real mother after all. Was she? Of course not. My real mother wouldn't suggest such a thing.

"_Aelita!"_

"Go away!" I shouted into the darkness, my hands covering my eyes. "Go away! You aren't my mommy."

"Aelita?"

I looked up. Standing in the doorway was Dr. Schroeder, and odd look on his face. He looked almost as if he was just about to leave work, no longer wearing his hospital robe. I tried to calm down, not wanting to look weak or crazy in front of him. He walked over to my bed, sitting down on the edge. "What's going on?" he asked, genuine care in his voice.

"Nothing," I sniffed, wiping the freshly formed tears from my face.

"I don't have to be a doctor to know that's not true." He looked at me, studying my face. "Is something hurting?"

"No t really."

"Are you…seeing things?"

"No." I shook my head.

"Hearing them?"

I nodded, not wanting to look at him. "I'm not crazy."

"Of course not. It's probably the chemo. There's been reports of hallucinations before, it's not uncommon."

I shook my head, still trying to stop the tears from flowing. "They've been going on for a few weeks. Since I got to the hospital."

"I see." He bit his lower lip, deep in thought. "Have you eaten? Food would help. And plenty of water."

"I'm not hungry," I grumbled. The thought of food right now made my stomach turn.

"Alright, but you need some rest. I'll have a nurse give you a sedative."

I didn't care anymore. As long as I wouldn't hear that voice again.


	11. Chapter 11

**(Yumi's POV)**

"Come on, Yumi. Please?" William smiled down at me, but I pushed him away.

"No, William."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like you like that." I could feel my face growing hot, backing away from him. "Besides, I have a lot on my mind right now, things going on with my friends."

"Some friends," William scoffed. "You guys never hang out or talk anymore. Even Ulrich stopped caring."

I balled my hand into a fist, growing irritated. "The only reason I never hang out with them anymore is because when I'm not trying to keep my grades up I'm trying to satisfy the needs of a certain whiney boyfriend who apparently can't go a day without me!"

"Why would I _want_ to go a day without you? You're just so irresistible." The look on his face disgusted me.

"William, I think you need to go. Go take a shower or something." I shoved him away, picking up my bag and walking to my math class. William grabbed my wrist and, out of instinct, I turned around and punched him, his teeth cutting into my hand. He raised his hand to hit me back and I flinched, closing my eyes. However, the hit never came.

I opened my eyes, seeing William on the ground, Ulrich sitting on his chest. "Don't you EVER let me see you raise a hand to another girl!" he shouted, grabbing William's shirt collar. William pushed him off, standing up and fixing his clothes before walking off as if nothing had happened. Ulrich watched him leave before turning back to me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I brushed my hair back, blushing slightly. "Thanks."

"What was that all about?"

I shrugged, not wanting to let on to what my relationship with William had become. I looked over at Ulrich, noticing how incredibly tall he had gotten, almost matching me exactly. "Don't you have a class to get to?"

"Nah, I have a free period."

"Ah." I looked at my watch. "I have maybe ten minutes. Want to go get a snack?"

"Sure." Ulrich wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I winced. He froze. "Yumi?"

I looked around before pulling the collar of my shirt down over my shoulder, revealing the large black and blue mark. "William did it yesterday."

"Yumi, why haven't you said anything?" Ulrich asked, pulling my shirt collar up quickly.

"Because with everything that's going on with Aelita, I didn't want to add this to the problems. Besides, I didn't want to admit that I made the wrong choice." I stared at the ground, not wanting to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I should've picked you." I worked on digging a rock from the ground with the toe of my boot. "If I had only said yes when you asked, it would be me and you, not you and Aelita."

Ulrich shrugged. "People change. People move on. But you don't need to be with William."

"Can I be with you then?" I looked up at him, my brown eyes meeting his grey ones.

"Yumi." Ulrich sighed, running his hand through his hair. It gave him that cute "just woke up" look that I found adorable. "I really want it to work with Aelita."

I shrugged. "Okay."

"Just promise me you'll tell me if William bothers you again."

I nodded. Ignoring the snacks, I walked to my math class, leaving him behind. _I miss the old you._

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

Aelita lay sleeping peacefully in her bed. I was the only one there, everyone else having to go to class. Christmas was in a week, and it seemed like the pink-haired princess wasn't getting much better. All she did anymore was sleep, and when she was awake she was in pain or throwing up. I hated seeing her look so bad. Odd had already passed out his gifts to us, giving me a journal, Ulrich a new pair of shin-guards after cracking his in the last game, and Jeremie a book of some sort.

I sat there, writing in my old journal, finishing the last available page. It bothered me that so much had happened in two months that I needed a new journal so quickly, but I knew with everything going on there would be a lot on my mind to talk about. Aelita moaned and I closed the journal, watching her. She rolled over, kicking the blankets off of her, and I could tell she was having a nightmare of some sort.

"Aelita?"

"Mommy…" she grumbled, still asleep. "No. I don't…want to…"

"Aelita?" I got up, walking over to her and placing my hand on her shoulder. "Aelita!"

Aelita jerked awake, sitting up and gasping for air. "Mommy!"

"Aelita, are you alright?" I asked, growing nervous.

"I…I can't…" Aelita's chest heaved with each struggled for air. Her hand grasped mine, her palm cold but clammy. "Yumi…"

I reached for the glass of water that had been left with her lunch tray. "Drink this," I directed, putting it to her lips. She did as she was told, fighting not to choke. I looked around, spotting the oxygen tube that must've fallen off during Aelita's tossing and turning. "Better?" I asked as soon as everything was in place. She inhaled deeply, almost a sigh, and nodded.

"Thank you, Yumi," she said weakly, a smile on her face. She lay back on her pillow, looking at me. "Sorry if I worried you."

"No, its fine. Are you okay? Would you like me to go get a nurse?"

Aelita shook her head. "How long have you been here?"

I looked at my watch, shrugging. "Maybe an hour?"

"Oh. Sorry I haven't been awake. Just not feeling like it." Her eyelids started to droop and I knew she'd be asleep soon.

"Get some rest. I'll come back later if you want."

Aelita rolled over and I knew I had already lost her to another round of sleep. After about two weeks of chemo, it was obvious she was sick. She was pale, and seemed much thinner than usual. Her chest, which rose and fell with each struggling breath, seemed almost as if it would cave in at the slightest touch. All of her hair was still intact, which made me feel a little better about the situation, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

I gathered my stuff into my bag and left, closing the door quietly behind me. _Maybe without William I can be with my friends again, _I thought as I left the hospital

"Yumi?"

I looked up at the sound of my name when something struck me on the side of my head, knocking me out.


	12. Chapter 12

**(Jeremie's POV)**

_Knock knock knock!_

I forced my eyes open, rubbing my face where the keyboard had imprinted itself. "What's going on?"

_Knock knock knock!_

I got up, answering the door. Ulrich stumbled in, looking pale and frantic. "Yumi's gone missing!"

"What?" I put my glasses on, still too tired to think right.

"Her parents called the school, they said she never came home last night."

"Didn't she go see Aelita after school?" I asked, trying to think back.

"I don't know, I didn't see her again after that thing with William."

"What thing with William?" I asked. Ulrich wasn't paying attention though. Instead, he pushed past me, running across the hall and beating on the door.

"William!" Ulrich shouted. "Get out here!"

Before I could stop him, Ulrich kicked the door, breaking it open. William sprang from his room, tackling Ulrich to the floor. "Back off, Stern!" he yelled, punching Ulrich. I didn't know what I could do, not being the fighting type.

"Where is she?" Ulrich shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I could see William smirking and knew immediately he had Yumi. I sneaked past the fighting boys, slipping into William's room. Yumi lay sleeping on William's bed, wrapped in his blankets, a large gash running across the left side of her face. "Yumi?"

"What are you doing! Get out of my room!" William advanced towards me, but Ulrich tackled him to the ground.

"Jeremie, go get Jim or Delmas!" he grunted, trying to keep William pinned.

I ran down the hall to the first floor of the dorm building, running into Jim almost immediately. "Jim! Come quick! There's a fight and William kidnapped Yumi!"

"What are you talking about, Belpois?" Jim rolled his eyes, about to turn away.

"No! Jim, Ulrich and William are fighting!"

"Oh, you're serious," Jim replied stupidly, running up the stairs. I followed after him, hoping Ulrich managed to keep William down.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

Yumi was put in the same hospital room as Aelita, after she managed to persuade the doctors that it wouldn't be a problem and that they were best friends. Yumi hadn't woken up, and the doctors had informed us that she probably wouldn't for a while. I felt completely numb, having two friends in the hospital, but I was glad they put them in the same room so I could spend time with both of them. Ulrich was pretty torn up after his fight with William, receiving a black eye and busted lip and nose. Odd joked that it made him look like a tough hero. I found it difficult to look at him.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Odd asked, sitting at the end of Aelita's bed but looking over at Yumi. I shrugged, not sure what to think at the moment. Ulrich was sitting in the chair next to Yumi, his head resting on her bed, sleeping soundly.

"She looks like she got hit pretty hard," Aelita noted. Despite my pleas for her to sleep, she insisted on staying up and talking with the rest of us.

"I can't believe William did that," I mumbled, sitting next to Aelita on her bed. "I mean, he always seemed a little crazy, but what he did was beyond that."

"Will they catch him?" Aelita asked.

I shrugged. "He jumped out of a second story window. Most likely injured himself, he can't have gotten too far. They'll find him in no time."

"And he'll go to prison?"

"No doubt," I answered. "Now get some rest, Aelita," I pleaded once again. "You need it. If anything changes I'll wake you up to tell you."

"Okay," she mumbled, curling up beneath the blankets. "Don't let me miss anything."

I watched her drift to sleep, neither Odd nor I making a sound so that she'd fall asleep faster. Ulrich and Yumi were both silent on the other side of the room, and I could see Odd starting to doze off while sitting up. "Come on." I nudged him. "Let's go get some rest."

"Okay," Odd answered sleepy. He gave one last glance towards Aelita, then over to Ulrich and Yumi. "It's not getting better, is it?"

I shrugged. "It'll get better."

"It's kinda funny, don't you think?" Odd chuckled sadly. "Fighting XANA, risking our lives, and the thing that's killing us and tearing us apart isn't even XANA's fault anymore. "

I listened to him ramble about, thinking to myself at the same time. Time was flying by. It seemed like only yesterday, Aelita was the twelve-year-old girl on the computer screen, and now she was the fourteen-year-old dying in a hospital bed. "Aelita's birthday is coming up," I remembered. "Just a few more weeks."

Odd nodded. "Yeah, I completely forgot." We stepped out into the winter air, pulling our collars up against the wind blowing against our backs. "Do you think she'll make it?" I heard Odd mutter.

"Of course," I answered, kicked at a small patch of snow. "Why shouldn't she?"

Odd shrugged. "Just seems like nothing is going right anymore."

**So the next chapter is where Ulrich had broken up with Aelita because he thought he loved Yumi. This is where I'm changing things up a little, because I didn't particularly like the train wreck that had created. So please review, and keep an eye out for the next chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**(Ulrich's POV)**

"Merry Christmas, Aelita," I muttered, kissing her forehead. She smiled at me weakly, curling up further under the thin hospital covers. I looked over at Yumi, who sat writing furiously in her journal. She didn't look up when Jeremie came in or when Odd changed the channel on the television. Jeremie glared at me, but took his usual spot at the foot of Yumi's bed.

"How are you feeling, Yumi?" he asked, pushing his glasses up on his face.

"I'm fine," she grumbled. It seemed as though her mood was always bad ever since the incident with William.

Aelita was quickly drifting to sleep, and I decided to take the time to go to the snack machines. It wasn't until I was halfway down the hall that I noticed Jeremie behind me. He reached out, grabbing my wrist. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" I stared down at him. It wasn't that I hated him, but ever since I started dating Aelita, he seemed so bitter towards me.

"Why are you leading Aelita on like that? You don't love her!"

"How do you know that?" I asked, pulling away.

"The way you look at her, the way you talk to her. I can tell you're just using her. Yumi isn't with William anymore, why don't you go back to her."

I glared at him. "You don't know anything about what I want. And if Aelita wanted you, she'd leave me. It's not like I'm making her stay."

"Break up with her," he ordered. "Now."

I gave him a sarcastic grin. "Fuck off."

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, sleep nowhere in sight. I desperately wished I could sleep so I wouldn't be tired during my visits with Aelita, but it seemed impossible. I had far too much on my mind. Aelita had been feeling so much worse lately. She was thinner, and all she did was sleep. Yumi was hurt, and refused to talk to anyone. Jeremie was mad at me for a stupid jealous reason, and Odd seemed to be in his own distant world.

I looked over at my roommate, who was sound asleep in his own bed. "Odd," I whispered through the darkness. "Odd, wake up."

"I don't wanna," he grumbled, rolling over. I threw my pillow at him and he jumped up, swinging it at me. "I'm sleeping, what do you want?"

"Odd, do you think me and Aelita can work?"

"Is this what you woke me up for?" he asked, throwing himself back down on his bed. "Ask me in the morning."

"I'm serious. Can this work? Or is Jeremie right?"

Odd was snoring. I rolled onto my back, none of my questions answered. I was sure we would work. Aelita loved me. She smiled when I was around, she made me feel like a better person than what I knew I was. She had to love me.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"Hey, Princess," I greeted, kissing Aelita's cheek. She grinned at me, looking better than she had in days. I hated that I was about to make things a little worse for her. "Aelita, we need to talk."

Aelita's grin faded. She frowned, scooting away from me. "What's wrong?"

"Aelita, you know I love you, right?" She nodded, fear in her eyes. "You don't need to be so scared, this isn't all that bad," I reassured. "Everyone keeps telling me how I feel, who I really love. They keep telling me what I'm supposed to do, and I want to make things very clear. I love _you_, Aelita. Not Yumi, not anyone else. You. Jeremie has been telling me all week to stop leading you on and break up with you, and I don't want anything he says to break us up."

Aelita stared at me with her wide green eyes. "Jeremie…is trying to break us up?"

I nodded, staring at the bed sheets. "He's jealous and angry, and I can't say I blame him. But it isn't fair. What he's doing isn't right. He shouldn't be trying to get in the way." I leaned forward, giving her the best kiss given in our relationship. When I pulled away, she inhaled sharply.

"Ulrich…"

"You've got to be kidding me."

I turned around. Jeremie stood at the door, a fresh cup of hot chocolate in one hand and his laptop in the other. He threw the cup down and tossed the laptop on Yumi's bed, who jerked awake. "You're too late, Jeremie," I yelled. He advanced towards me and, although he was a whole head shorter than I, attempted to make himself look fierce.

"All you're doing is hurting her." He turned to Aelita. "He doesn't love you!"

Aelita looked as if she was about to cry. Her eyes closed and she bit her lower lip. "Jeremie," she whispered, "please, just go."

"Go?"

"Go." She glared at him. "Stop being jealous and let me be happy. I'm a big girl, I can make my own choices."

"Aelita, he doesn't love you. He loves Yumi. I love you."

I looked over at Yumi, who sat in her bed quietly, almost enjoying the dramatic show. Her eyes met mine and I gave a sort of apologetic shrug. I didn't mean for her to get dragged into this. Aelita's machine beeped loudly and I jumped. She winced, her hand flying to her chest. "Just leave," she groaned.

Jeremie looked hurt, but didn't want to make things worse. He picked up his laptop and, stepping over the puddle of hot chocolate, left.

**A lot better written than the original I think. Not as twisty-turny. Everything will be back on track soon. Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**(Jeremie's POV)**

She didn't want me. She really didn't. While I had to admit I did attempt to break them apart, I didn't mean to hurt her. I didn't mean to lose her. She was mine. I found her, I put everything I had into taking care of her. I couldn't take it. I could feel my heart breaking. I sat in the floor of the hospital bathroom, trying to contain my emotions. She made her decision. "Aelita…" I couldn't hold it in. I felt like I was going to be sick.

The door opened and Odd walked in. "Jeremie?"

"I can't do it Odd," I sobbed, finally breaking. "I can't live without her. First she chose Ulrich over me and she keeps getting worse."

"She's okay though." He sat down next to me.

"I need her!" I buried my face in my hands. "When I think of my future, I think of her, and now I don't even know."

"Jeremie, calm down!" Odd almost had to yell so I could hear him. "It's a high school relationship. They don't last."

I shook my head. "What if it does? What if she never chooses me?"

Odd sighed. "Jeremie, you have to be positive. I can't cheer you up if you're going to be like this."

"What am I supposed to do though? She ch-chose him!"

"Let's just go back to the school. Get you away from here for a little bit." He helped me to my feet, pushing me towards the exit. "Come on, Einstein. Who knows, maybe you can hook up with Yumi."

My mind wandered to Yumi, considering it for a second, but I quickly pushed the thought away.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

I stared at the blade in my hand. I never considered suicide before, but it had been two weeks. Ulrich and Aelita were closer than ever, and I was cast aside like I had never existed. I didn't want to punish anyone. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I just wanted to stop hurting. Pictures of Aelita and my friends lay strewn across the floor, everyone smiling at me, convincing me that this was the wrong choice.

I hadn't gone to class in a week. I tried to go on with life, but it just wasn't working for me. Odd was the only one that still spoke to me, when he wasn't at the hospital or class. I was glad he cared, but I didn't want him around. _There has to be another way._

I pulled out my phone, making up my mind. I dialed Dad's number, hoping he could cheer me up. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hey Dad," I greeted, almost choking on my words.

"Jeremie! How have you been, kiddo? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, they're great. My grades are good, everything is fine."

"What about your friends? What about Aelita?" he asked. He was fond of Aelita, enjoying her frequent stays at the house.

"She's doing better." I didn't want to talk about Aelita. "How's Mom?"

"She's great! In fact, we have some amazing news. We're gonna have another baby."

My heart skipped a beat. Here I was, ready to kill myself, and my parents were having another child. _Perfect timing, Dad, _I thought bitterly. "That's great!" I replied when I realized I was taking too long to respond. "When is it due?"

"Some time in August."

"That's good…"

"Everything okay, Son?" Dad could tell something was up. He was always able to pick up on things like that. I didn't understand why I never talked to him as often, I liked my parents. They were perfect.

"Yeah," I answered. "I have to go. Tell Mom I said 'hi'. I love you guys."

"Love you too, Son," Dad replied affectionately. "I'll talk to you later."

I hung up the phone. Mom wouldn't understand. I pulled open the drawer beneath my bed, scooping up the photos and putting them away. I grabbed my notebook and a pen, scribbling the first words that came to mind. I didn't want to drag things out. Leaving some long book as my last words would just be punishment to whoever read it.

_I just can't take it. I love her, and I want her to be happy, but I won't stand back and watch from the sidelines. I messed up. My friends are the greatest people I ever met. I don't know what Kadic would've been without them. I always felt alone, like an outcast. Lately, it seems like I've lost my friends, whether by my own fault or theirs. But I won't go back to being the nerdy kid who did nothing but study. Mom, Dad, I love you guys so much. You gave me everything. None of this is your fault. Odd, you've been closest to me these last few weeks. Thank you for that. Yumi, I'm so sorry for what has happened. You've been like a sister to me, I know you're strong, you'll be able to get past this and grow up to be someone amazing. Ulrich and Aelita, I'm sorry for trying to break you guys apart. I never meant any harm. I hope things work out for you guys. Aelita, I really hope you fight this cancer. You deserve a long life. Thank you for giving me some of the happiest years of my life. I love all you guys. Never forget what brought us together, then maybe you'll never drift apart. We had some fun times, even though sometimes things seemed impossible, we made it through._

I stared at the note. It seemed incomplete, but I couldn't think of anything else to add. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be. Incomplete. Just like my life. I sighed, setting the notebook on my bed and picking up the blade again. The light reflected off it, hitting me in the eye. I wasn't crying. I wasn't scared. I didn't feel anything. I put the blade to my wrist and closed my eyes, ready for it. I knew it would hurt. I'd probably feel cold before it would take me. But it was all okay with me. I was ready.

There was a knock at the door.


	15. Chapter 15

**(Odd's POV)**

"Jeremie?" I knocked on his door again. I knew he was in there, he hadn't gone anywhere else. "Come on, it's time for lunch." I pressed my ear to the door. I couldn't hear anything. Not even the sound of him snoring. I turned the doorknob, finding it locked. "Come on, man, this isn't funny."

Still no answer. I dropped to the floor, hoping I could see through the crack. While I didn't have the best view into the room, I could see something that made my heart skip a beat. It looked as if Jeremie was sitting on the floor by his bed, and in his hand I could just barely make out the form of the silver blade. _Oh, God no!_

I jumped to my feet and threw myself against the door. It opened almost instantly. I ran into the room, grabbing Jeremie by the collar. "You're NOT doing this to us, Einstein." He didn't move. His eyes stayed closed. First Aelita, then Yumi, and now him. I couldn't take any more. It was becoming too much. I got up and ran down the hall to Jim's room. "Jim, hurry! Jeremie's hurt!"

Jim opened the door, obviously just waking. "Della Robbia, you better not be messing with me."

"No, Jeremie hurt himself."

Jim pushed past me. "What it is with you guys lately?" We reached Jeremie's room, and almost immediately Jim told me to get Nurse Yolanda.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"Odd, pay attention!" Ms. Hertz yelled, smacking her ruler on my desk.

"Sorry," I muttered, still not fully focused. Ulrich sat next to me, staring absentmindedly out the window. Delmas had forced us into class this morning, both to keep our attendance up and to keep either of us from hurting ourselves. Ulrich's face was still healing from his fight with William several weeks ago, but it was much easier to look at him. Neither of us wanted to be here anymore.

"Do you think he's okay?" Ulrich whispered. We hadn't heard word about Jeremie since the ambulance took him away yesterday. We didn't even know if he was still alive. All we knew was his parent cleaned his room out earlier this morning, and wouldn't stop to talk to either of us.

I shrugged. "Maybe Principal Delmas is right, Ulrich. Let's just focus on our work."

Ulrich turned away from the window, glaring at me. "Aelita is dying, William raped Yumi, and Jeremie may have possibly killed himself, and you want me to focus on fucking science."

I stared at Ulrich, wide-eyed. He was never so rude. It didn't take long to notice the rest of the class was watching as well, and I sank down in my seat, waiting for Ms. Hertz to yell again. She didn't, however. Instead, she walked over to our table and, in a low voice, told Ulrich and I to grab our things and go to Delmas's office. If there was anything she didn't tolerate, it was swearing.

I hated walking through the campus. It seemed that no matter who we passed, they were all whispering and staring, as if everything that was going on was our fault. Matthieu Ducrocq was leaving the administration building just as we were climbing up the stairs. "Hey Odd, he Ulrich," he greeted. "How is everyone?"

Ulrich shrugged him off and I kicked at a rock. "They're okay," I muttered, walking past him. Delmas seemed to be waiting for us, holding the door to his office open. Ulrich and I walked in, throwing ourselves down in the chairs.

"Boys, I understand this is becoming a rather hard time for both of you," he started, sitting across from us at his desk, "but this is still a school, and rules do apply. Profanity will not be tolerated."

"Sorry, sir," Ulrich muttered, not at all paying attention. I didn't know what to say, considering I didn't do anything to end up here in the first place. Delmas looked at the both of us and sighed.

"I think it's best if I called your parents. Send you home for a little while and get yourselves a break."

Send us home? At a time like this? "No way!" I shouted, jumping up. "I'm not leaving my friends, we need each other now more than ever."

"Yeah, you can't just send us home!" Ulrich's eyes were wide with fear.

"Alright boys, settle down. If there's no convincing you to go home then I suggest you take my second offer." He handed us both a sheet of paper. "I would like for you both to attend sessions with Mr. Simone, the school psychologist."

"And if we don't want to do that either?" Ulrich grumbled, looking at the paper.

"Then your parents will be called. This situation with Belpois, Stones, and Ishiyama is causing a great deal of stress on you two and the staff has noticed you're doing nothing to deal with it. The last thing we need is for one of you to snap under the pressure and harm a student," he said sternly. Then, softer, "or yourself."

I sighed. "I'll take the sessions with Mr. Simone."

"Yeah, me, too." Ulrich was not at all pleased.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

I walked down the hospital halls as if I lived there. I didn't even have to look where I was going anymore. I carried a small bouquet of pink roses in my hand, hoping they would make Aelita smile. She had seemed incredibly depressed since hearing about Jeremie, and I knew it bothered her greatly that we weren't hearing any news on his wellbeing. Ulrich stopped at the nurses desk, hoping to hear some good news about her condition.

"Not so good today, Mr. Stern," the male nurse replied. The floor staff had grown quite accustomed to us, and recognized us to the point of knowing our names and who we were there to see. "She's asleep now, please don't wake her today."

Ulrich's shoulders slumped and he shuffled to the girls' room. "I wish she'd get better already."

I sighed, pushing him into the room. Yumi lay awake, mindlessly watching TV. I smiled at her but she didn't seem to see me. I replaced the dead roses next to Aelita's bed with the fresh ones and sat down near Yumi. "So you leave tomorrow?"

Yumi nodded, not looking at me. "Gotta get ready to go to court and testify against William."

I stared at the white floors. It was still hard to believe what he had done, and yet at the same time it seemed so like him. Ulrich sat next to Aelita, not talking, just holding her hand. I could've swore I heard a sniffled, but couldn't tell if he was crying from the distance. The machines beeped, but Aelita didn't even react to the pain anymore. All she did was sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**(Aelita's POV)**

It felt like I was falling. I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't see anything. It must've been like how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole. I didn't like the feeling.

"Aelita?"

I forced my eyes open. Ulrich rested in the chair next to my bed, and Yumi seemed almost dead to the world. I looked around, but didn't see anyone. "Is…Is anyone there?" I called as loudly as I could. Nobody replied, and I laid back down, feeling another wave of sleep wash over me.

"Aelita!"

It was Jeremie. I recognized his voice. "Where are you?" I asked, trying to talk loud enough for him to hear. There was no reply though. I threw the covers back and grabbed the IV stand. I knew I wasn't supposed to get out of bed, but I had to figure out what was going on. Jeremie was calling for me, and I had to find out if he was okay. The floor was freezing beneath my bare feet, and I wished that I had my socks. Ulrich grumbled something and I froze, but he didn't wake up. I continued slowly to the door, each step seeming to take more than the last. I had to find him though.

I closed the door quietly behind me and looked around the hallway. The place was abandoned and almost scary. All the lights were off, and I couldn't hear anything. I looked towards the longer end of the hall, squinting through the darkness. There were a few doors open, letting the moonlight from the room windows shine into the halls. I shivered, feeling week and scared, but forced my feet forward. "Jeremie? Are you here?"

"Miss?"

I turned towards the voice. A nurse sat at a desk, looking tired but still with that air of someone in charge. "Did you see a blonde boy walking around here?" I asked, gasping with each word. I knew I had to get back to bed before I collapsed, but I had to make sure I was okay.

"No. Go back to your room now."

I glared at her, but turned back towards my room. "Aelita!"

I stopped, putting my fingers in my ears. I didn't know what I was hearing, or if I was hearing anything at all. But it had to stop. Ulrich appeared at my doorway, groggy and confused. "Aelita? Why are you up?"

"I heard Jeremie," I answered, looking around. Ulrich stared at me, a sad look on his face.

"Come back to bed. You need to sleep."

He reached out, grabbing my elbow and leading me back towards the bed. I could hardly stand anymore. "Ulrich? What happened to Jeremie? Is he…is he gone?"

Ulrich didn't answer. My heart was hurting, and I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. It hurt to cry anymore. Everything I did hurt. I lay down, burying my face into the cool pillow, hoping it would help relieve some of the pain. Ulrich sat next to me, petting my soft pink hair, not speaking. I wanted Jeremie to be okay. I wanted to know how he was doing.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

"_Aelita?"_

"_Mommy?"_

"_Aelita, you need to let go."_

"_What? No! I'm fine."_

"_Aelita, you're dying."_

"_I can beat this. I'm not giving up."_

"_You're wearing yourself out, Lita dear. Come be with Daddy and I."_

"_But…I don't want to die yet."_

I inhaled sharply as electricity jolted through my chest. It was another attack. I stared mindlessly up at Dr. Schroeder, trying to regain my thoughts. Ulrich sat huddled in a corner looking both scared and relieved. Yumi sat awake in her bed, shaking and pale. I was tired of the attacks. I hated how everyone was always wondering if today would be my last day. I reached up, scratching my head. My scalp felt so itchy. When I pulled my hand away, there were pink strands of hair weaved between my fingers. I looked over at Ulrich, who sighed and removed the hair from my hand.

Dr. Schroeder forced an oxygen mask over my face and gave me a shot of something, and almost instantly I felt tired. I didn't want to sleep anymore, but he no longer gave me a choice. I knew I was going to die soon, and until I figured out what happened to Jeremie, I didn't care.

**Kinda short, I know, but I've got some plans for the next chapters. Lots of emotions and stuff. Hope you enjoy, everyone review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**So I've been getting a surprising amount of messages asking if I have a Facebook or Twitter. I have both. Anyone can follow me on twitter ( fictionwriter94) but I keep my Facebook for family and close friends. Sorry. Not all my posts are Code Lyoko related (though hey, if I get a ton of followers then they sure will be) and I have to warn my posts aren't exactly PG. So feel free to follow me, I don't mind. Now, on to the story!**

**(Odd's POV)**

I felt torn. Aelita was laying in a bed in one room, Yumi's parents had transferred her to a more private room on another floor, and Jeremie was just a few doors down. I didn't know where I was going to stay, not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. I wished I was Ulrich, who had an excuse for only staying with Aelita. She was the most important thing in his life. I wanted to be with all my friends.

I slowly opened the door to Jeremie's room, looking around nervously. His father sat in the chair next to his bed, looking worn out and old. His mother was sitting on the edge next to her son, tears pouring down her face. Jeremie didn't notice though. He didn't wake up. His wrists were heavily bandaged, and the machines hooked up to him beeped painfully slow. The doctors said he had lost a lot of blood, and had cut through the muscles on his wrist. If he recovered, he'd have to go through therapy to build up his strength.

"Odd!" He's father looked up at me. I could see his eyes were red and puffy, and I automatically felt awkward. Adults weren't supposed to cry. Especially men.

"Hey, Mr. Belpois. I was just coming to see how Jeremie was doing."

He gave me a weak smile. "He's better. Not great, but better. Maybe he'll wake up soon."

"Yeah…" I looked over at Jeremie. His skin was pale, and he looked almost peaceful. It struck me that Jeremie hadn't slept in a long time. Not since before Lyoko. All those months trying to find a way to materialize Aelita, to get rid of her virus, then all the programmes he made for Lyoko, freeing William, worrying about school, dealing with Aelita's sickness. Maybe he just needed to rest. "He'll be fine. I know he will."

Mr. Belpois gave a solemn nod and I turned and left. Yumi's parents were strict on visitors, so I skipped the visit to her room and went straight to Aelita's. She lay in her usual spot on the bed, with Ulrich sitting next to her. There was a quiet, sad feeling in the air, something I had grown used to. Ulrich seemed to be telling her a story, and she smiled weakly.

Suddenly I couldn't stand it. The day-to-day routine of seeing her like this, some days not even strong enough to talk. I turned on my heel and ran out the door, collapsing against the opposite wall. I curled my knees to my chest and burst into tears. It was wrong to cry, I knew it was, and I knew I had to be strong for Aelita and Jeremie and Yumi and even Ulrich, but I couldn't anymore. She was so skinny, so fragile looking. It wasn't the Aelita I remembered.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

I lay on my bed, Kiwi on my chest. It seemed like years since I had gotten some decent sleep, but I knew I wouldn't get any tonight. I had far too much homework to catch up on. There was a knock at the door and I sighed, pushing Kiwi away and standing up. "Who is it?"

"The Kadic Press!" Milly's voice chirped. I groaned, not wanting to deal with her now. I didn't mind Tamiya. She was a little less bossy and obsessive about being a reporter. I opened the door, looking down at them.

"What do you guys want? It's almost curfew."

Milly's face scrunched up into a pout. "We want to do an article on your friends, and you're the only one that isn't in the hospital."

"That's not true," I replied. "Ulrich's fine."

"Yeah," Tamiya agreed. "But Ulrich as been a little…you know…" She made a motion, her finger circling around her ear.

"Ulrich is not crazy!" I was ready to slam the door on them.

"Well, tell us how they're doing anyways!" Milly begged. "What's going on with Aelita? What happened between Yumi and William? Is Jeremie okay?"

"Look guys, I don't really feel like talking right now, okay?" Without another word, I closed the door in their faces. I hated being rude, but they were just too much to handle. I looked over at Ulrich's empty bed, wondering when he'd be back to sleep in it, when something caught my eye between his bed and wardrobe. "Mr. Puck?"

The doll lay stuffed in the small space, dirty and slightly wet from Kiwi having chewed on it. I picked him up, turning him over in my hands. "What are you doing here? You were at the hospital with Aelita."

The doll smiled up at me with his painted-on grin, his hat slightly askew. It was a cute doll, and I had always wondered about the story behind it. Aelita had never told any of us about it, though she always seemed so happy with it. There was another knock on the door and I growled. "I told you, I'm not doing any interviews!"

The door opened and I jumped. "That's good to know, Mr. Della Robbia, but I'm not here for an interview," Mr. Delmas said, stepping into the room. "Your Aunt is here."

"My who?"

Almost immediately I felt as if I was going to faint. Standing behind Mr. Delmas was a pink haired woman, who looked like an older version of Aelita. It wasn't possible. I realized I had been staring far too long, and though the woman seemed almost as confused as I did, I knew something had to be said fast. "Oh, hi Aunt Antea! I didn't know you were coming."

The woman gave me a nervous grin. "I can handle things from here, Mr. Delmas," she said, taking a step towards me. "I'd like to chat with my…nephew."

"Of course." Mr. Delmas quickly left, leaving me alone with the strange woman.

"Who are you?" she asked as soon as the door closed.

"Well, you see, it's kind of a very long story."

"Where's Aelita? Where's my little girl?"

I groaned, suddenly wishing Jeremie was awake. "Maybe I should start with the beginning."

Antea looked at the doll in my hands and gasped, taking it from me. "Where did you get this?"

"It's Aelita's," I answered, growing incredibly confused. "How did you—"

"So she is here!"

"Not exactly."

The woman turned towards me once again. "Who are you? Why did Mr. Delmas bring me to you when I asked to see Aelita?"

I inhaled, hoping I could get everything out in one breath before she started asking more questions. "Aelita was trapped inside Lyoko and when we freed her we created a whole new life for her where I'm her cousin and she's from Canada and your husband died sacrificing himself for the world and now Aelita is in the hospital dying of heart cancer and I'm really tired and confused so if you don't mind I'd like to go to sleep now."

Antea continued staring at me, her face drained of all colour. "Aelita is dying?"

I nodded. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear some of your story now."

The woman shook her head. She looked as if she was about to cry. Instead of speaking, she clutched the doll to her chest and ran from the room. I felt like I had just woken from a really odd dream, and none of the last few minutes happened. However, I knew they were real, and I had to take the woman to Aelita. I jumped up, running after her. "Wait!"

**And boom! Super mega plot twist that I bet none of you saw coming haha review and let me know what you think.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm currently in the process of moving, something that's been stressing me out for a week now (and Greyhound has not been very cooperative with my tickets, don't buy from them if you don't want to get robbed) so my work may not be up to par. However, I do enjoy what I do and pleasing my fans, so even though this next month is going to be crazy, it won't stop me.**

**(Yumi's POV)**

I was relieved to finally be back in my own room at home, though I knew it was pointless. I was going right back to the hospital to see Aelita. Hiroki walked past the open bedroom door, his focus on the game in his hands. He had avoided me since the incident, and I couldn't blame him. I wanted to pretend I didn't exist, too. Mom was in her room, cleaning as usual, and Dad sat in the chair downstairs reading his paper. "I'm going to see Aelita," I called, grabbing my bag.

"No you aren't," Dad replied. I stopped, looking over at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're staying in your room. The last thing we need is you getting hurt again." He said the words quietly, and I knew what happened pained him.

"Dad, William's in jail. The chances of someone else being after me are pretty slim."

"The answer is no!" He got up from his chair, throwing his newspaper into the floor. I glared at him, wondering why he had to be so unfair, but sighed and returned to my room. Aelita was probably sleeping anyways. I flopped down on my bed, burying my face in my pillow. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I sighed answering it.

"Hello?"

"Yumi!" It was Odd. "You'll never believe what's going on!"

"The lunch room ran out of potatoes?" I asked, not really caring.

"Don't even joke about that!" he replied, his voice serious. "Yumi, Aelita's mom is here. She's looking for Aelita."

I sat up, my heart skipping a beat. "Her mom? Are you sure?"

"How many people do you know with pink hair? Yes, her mom!"

"Maybe it's a trap? It could be XANA."

I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. "The computer has been shut down for like two years. XANA is gone."

"Maybe someone turned it back on." I struggled to put on a sweater while continuing to talk to him. "Where are you? I'm gonna sneak out."

"I'm taking her to see Aelita now."

"Odd, I don't think that'll be a good idea. What if it really is a XANA trap?" I grabbed my bag, throwing open the window, keeping the phone pressed to my ear. I had climbed out the window more than once, and knew I could manage with only one hand. "You could be putting her at risk, and she really isn't well enough to be kidnapped you know."

Odd was silent. It wasn't until I reached the ground that he spoke again. "Maybe you're right. Or maybe this really is her mother, and when Aelita sees her it might give her the strength to fight this."

I smiled weakly. It was sweet how much he cared about Aelita. "Okay, Odd. I'll meet you at the hospital."

**Yet another short chapter. However, most of you know I'm terrible with Yumi's POV. I'm growing to like her though. Also, I made a tumblr (Fictionwriter94. Tumblr. Com) I'm sooooo lost, lots of learning to do, but I love all the Lyoko related stuff on there. Hope you like the next chapter!**


	19. Chapter 19

**(Aelita's POV)**

"_Aelita? Darling, wake up!"_

"_No, Mommy. I'm not listening to you anymore."_

"_Aelita, wake up. It's okay now."_

"_No!"_

"_Aelita!"_

I forced my eyes to stay closed. I didn't trust my mother. She had told me so many different things. She was trying to hurt me. She wasn't my mother. My mother loved me. She cared for me. She was dead. My feet were freezing, and I curled up further beneath the blankets, hoping it would help. Someone put their hand on my shoulder. It had to have been Ulrich. Jeremie was gone, Yumi was at home, and Odd was supposed to be in class. Ulrich was there though. He was always there. I reached over, my eyes still closed, and took his hand in mine. It was warm and soft. I opened my eyes and looked at him, still tired. "Have you eaten lately?" I asked.

He smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about me eating when you won't even touch your tray. Come on, sit up and try and eat a little."

I shook my head, feeling nauseous. "You can have it."

Ulrich sighed, reaching out and caressing my face. "You need to eat, Princess. You need to stay strong so you can fight this."

I wrapped my arms around my knees, resting my chin on my arms. "I don't care. Jeremie isn't here, I don't care anymore."

Ulrich's face dropped. "Aelita, you can't quit living because of Jeremie."

"Why not?" I asked, glaring at him. "What's the point? He's the whole reason I'm here, without him I'd be better off dead."

"No! You should never say that Aelita. Never! We all care about you. It isn't just because of Jeremie that you're here. It's all of us. Yumi, Odd, and I, we risked our lives protecting you on Lyoko, and here on Earth during the XANA attacks."

I could feel the tears coming. I wished Jeremie was here. He was great at giving hugs. I enjoyed his company. Now I didn't even know if he was still okay. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad at him," I muttered, my voice cracking. "I just…I want him back." I clenched my fists in my hair, sobbing. I couldn't take the pain. My chest ached, and I knew if I didn't calm down I would do some serious damage.

"Aelita!" It was my mother's voice. She sounded much louder and clearer than usual, and I pressed my hands against my ears, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Go away, please!" I shouted through the sobs. "I can't take anymore."

Someone wrapped their arms around me. At first I thought it was Ulrich, but Ulrich felt different. He didn't smell like vanilla either. Warmth spread through me, and suddenly memory after memory came rushing back.

"_Do you like it?"_

"_Yes! Thank you Mommy!"_

That hug. The hug I gave my mother when she gave me Mr. Puck. It was the same. I opened my eyes to long locks of pink hair, and a blue sweater. Almost upon instinct I wrapped my arms around whoever was holding me, hugging their neck tightly. The person hugged me back, and I couldn't do anything but sob. "I h-have to s-see Jeremie," I finally managed between gasps. "I have too."

"Lita, sweetie, calm down," the woman whispered. It was such a familiar voice. I hugged the woman tighter, finally understanding. It was my mother. "Calm down," she continued to whisper. "Just breathe. You're going to make yourself sick."

I managed to calm myself, burying my face in her neck. I ignored the fact that she had been missing for the last twenty years or so. I didn't want to ruin the moment with questions that most likely didn't have the happiest of answers. I just wanted her to hold me like she did when I was little. I wanted to look at her, to see her face, but realized that, unlike me, she had aged a lot. I was supposed to be in my twenties. She was somewhere in her early fifties. She wasn't going to be the same woman that I remembered from my childhood. But she was still my mother.

She started humming, rocking me softly, before the words of an old lullaby poured from her mouth.

_Au clair de la lune_

_Mon ami __Pierrot_

_Prête-moi ta plume_

_Pour écrire un mot_

_Ma chandelle est morte_

_Je n'ai plus de feu_

_Ouvre-moi ta porte_

_Pour l'amour de Dieu_

_Au clair de la lune,_

_Pierrot répondit :_

_« Je n'ai pas de plume,_

_Je suis dans mon lit._

_Va chez la voisine,_

_Je crois qu'elle y est,_

_Car dans sa cuisine_

_On bat le briquet. »_

_Au clair de la lune,_

_L'aimable Lubin;_

_Frappe chez la brune,_

_Elle répond soudain :_

_-Qui frappe de la sorte ?_

_Il dit à son tour :_

_-Ouvrez votre porte,_

_Pour le Dieu d'Amour._

_Au clair de la lune,_

_On n'y voit qu'un peu._

_On chercha la plume,_

_On chercha le feu._

_En cherchant d'la sorte,_

_Je n'sais c'qu'on trouva ;_

_Mais je sais qu'la porte_

_Sur eux se ferma._

By the end of the song, my eyes were droopy and my grip on my mother had relaxed. I had completely ignored the fact that Ulrich had left, and that only moments before I had been bawling my eyes out. I felt like a hole had been filled, and I only hoped that I wasn't in the middle of a dream or even dead. My mother laid me back on the pillow, and I was able to get a good look at her face.

She wasn't nearly as old as I had expected. Her hair was less pink than I remembered, slowly turning grey with the old age. Her face was still beautiful, though the wrinkles were slowly appearing. "Go to sleep, Aelita," she mumbled, smiling sadly. "We'll talk more when you wake up. We have so much to catch up on."

I reached out, taking her hand. "Please don't leave."

She smiled. "I'd never do such a thing. I never want to leave you again."

I closed my eyes, not wanting to sleep, but just to rest. When I opened them again, the room was dark and empty. I sat up, ignoring the large amount of hair that had fallen out in my sleep, and threw my feet over the side of the bed. I wasn't going to be left alone again. Before I could stop myself, my knees gave out and I fell to the floor.

"Aelita?"

I looked up. Ulrich stood at the doorway, Odd and my mother behind him. I hated that he was seeing me like this. I felt weak and useless. Without warning, the tears started up again, and I sat in the cold hospital floor, crying. Ulrich walked over, scooping me up in his arms. I was much lighter than I used to be, and knew that picking me up was like carrying air to him. "I know exactly what you need."

Instead of putting me back in my bed like I anticipated, he carried me out of the room, walking down the hall. Odd walked ahead of us, stopping at an open door. I clung to Ulrich, afraid that he would trip or drop me, though he constantly reassured me that he wouldn't. He carried me into the new room and I gasped. Jeremie lay on the bed, asleep but alive. I wriggled around in Ulrich's arms but he wouldn't put me down. "You're too weak to walk."

I gave up and he carried to Jeremie's bedside. His father sat next to him, looking completely drained of all life, and his mother was asleep next to the window. Ulrich sat me carefully on the bed and I reached out, taking Jeremie's hand. His wrists were bandaged, and his skin was cold. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah," Mr. Belpois replied. "He just needs his rest."

"So he'll be fine?" I had to be sure. Mr. Belpois nodded and I smiled. "That's all I need to know."

My heart throbbed in my chest and I doubled over in pain. Mother rushed forward, taking my head in her hands. "Deep breathes, Lita dear. It'll help the pain pass faster."

I groaned, wishing I had never left my room. I didn't know how to deal with the pain any more. Everything seemed like it was slipping away. I could barely hear the shouting of the people surrounding me. Lights were fading, and time seemed to slow down. I wanted to give up, to end it, but knowing Jeremie was okay was enough to keep me fighting.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

"My father had it when he was in his thirties. He pulled through easily though."

_Beep…Beep…Beep….._

"I haven't really been in her life the last few years."

"It isn't your fault."

_Beep…..Beep….Beep…_

"I looked so hard for her and now I'm losing her."

"She isn't gone yet."

_Beep….Beep….Beep….._

"Jeremie is awake. He wants to see her."

_Beep...Beep…_

"Aelita? Aelita, they said that you can hear me. Please wake up. I need you. We all need you. Everything is okay now. Please?"

_Beep…Beep….._

**I think this story may be coming to an end soon, if I can't think up more junk aha let me know what you all think, if you guys are still interested. Come on! I love all my fans, everyone review and junk!**


	20. Chapter 20

**So two days in and I'm addicted to Tumblr. I think I may start using it to give previews to my work. Add me if you'd like to get sneak peeks and junk. Or if you just wanna be friends. I love making new friends haha.**

**(Ulrich's POV)**

"I don't know what you want me to say," I grumbled, staring at Mr. Simone. I knew he wouldn't let me out of the stupid session until I opened up, but I just wanted to go to bed. It had been a long, hard week.

"Tell me about what you're feeling." He leaned forward in his chair, pressing his fingertips together, his glasses falling down his nose slightly.

"I don't know what I feel." I tapped my fingers impatiently on the arm of the chair.

"Ulrich, you have to have some idea of the emotions going on inside your head."

"I don't."

Mr. Simone clicked his tongue, growing impatient. "Ulrich, I understand you are usually a quiet spoken boy, but if you don't open up then the principal will be forced to release you into the care of your parents for your own protection."

"Yeah, hand me over to my dad," I growled. "He'll protect me."

"Then talk to me."

I sighed. "What would anyone in my position feel? Anger? Fear? I don't know what I'm feeling."

Mr. Simone sat back in his chair, sighing. "We obviously aren't getting very far tonight. Here, take this." He reached down beside him, grabbing a composition notebook. "I'd like you to keep a journal. Write in it every day, even if it's just a sentence. I'd like for you to work on expressing your feelings."

I took the notebook, trying not to seem too disgusted by the idea of having to write my feelings, like a girl. My journals were usually about my adventures on Lyoko, or something cool like that. "Do you have anything in green?" I asked. Purple was more Odd's colour than my own. He quickly handed me a green journal and shooed me out of the office.

"Hurry or you'll miss curfew."

I put the notebook in my bag and, in no hurry at all, walked towards the dorms. It was dark outside, and a little cold. My mind went back to the events of the week: Aelita's mother returning, Aelita having her worst attack yet, Jeremie waking up. I was glad Jeremie was awake and Yumi was doing better. Odd seemed to be benefitting more from the therapy sessions than I was, so it was great to know that he was doing better. I just wished things were normal. I wished Aelita would get better, and I wished Jeremie's parents weren't taking him back to their home in Bourges. I looked up at the dorm windows, seeing that Odd was asleep by the lack of light radiating from our dorm. I kicked at a rock and looked around. I wasn't going to bed yet. I was far from tired. I was going to the factory instead.

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

I took the old elevator down to the computer room, having to struggled to remember the code to open the doors. The place was cold and dark, and had that abandoned feel about it. When I was thirteen, I thought I'd spend the rest of my life here, fighting XANA and living a secret life. I laughed a little, knowing that I had saved the world and nobody would ever know. I desperately wanted to scream it to the world, that I was a hero and not just a screw-up like everyone thought, but I knew they'd all laugh or even lock me away.

I sat down in Jeremie's computer chair, remembering the few times I had to operate the machine. I tapped the enter key, just as something to do. Much to my surprise, the screen flickered to life, and the holosphere shot up next to me. I frowned. Nothing was supposed to be working. We had shut it down, pulling the plug. I wanted to call Jeremie, but realized he was in no state to deal with whatever was going on. Instead, I called Odd.

"Ulrich?" he mumbled when he finally answered. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Odd, I'm at the factory," I said, ignoring him. "The supercomputer is running for some reason. Have you been here recently? Or do you know if any of the others came here?"

"No." He was much more awake now. "Do you think someone else was in there?"

"Well, obviously. It can't turn itself on, and I don't think it was a ghost." I walked back over to the elevator.

"Well, what do you want us to do?" he asked. "So what if it's on? XANA was destroyed. Or did you miss an episode?"

I was going to take the elevator to the calculator room, but realized he was right. There was no reason to check things out. "I just have a bad feeling about things."

There was a moment of silence before he replied. "I do too. But we just have to focus on the important stuff. Like Aelita getting better and Jeremie not getting sent away and stuff like that."

I sighed and hung up. I hated how he seemed to be the most sensible one of the group anymore, and how he was always right. I hit the large "up" button with my fist and leaned against the back of the elevator. The large box shuddered, throwing me to the floor, and there was a squeal of brakes. The elevator had stopped.

**I wish I could spend more time on one POV, but I just don't have the attention span. But it keeps you guys on your toes, right? Aha everyone should review! Things are getting good!**


	21. Chapter 21

**(Jeremie's POV)**

I sat in the chair next to Aelita's bed, holding her small hand, my thumb caressing it. I desperately wanted her to wake up, to be done with the cancer. Her hair had fallen out completely, and it pained me to look at her. Antea lay sleeping on the couch near the window, her pink hair falling around her face. I had yet to ask where she had been the last few years, thinking she had much more to worry about than answering our questions. Aelita moaned and I jumped. "Aelita?" I tried to squeeze her hand, to let her know I was there, but my muscles were still weak. "Aelita, can you hear me?"

She moaned again, and the monitors let out a loud beep, waking Antea. "What's going on?"

A doctor rushed into the room, a nurse following closely behind him. They quickly shooed us away, despite my protests and Antea's tears. I threw myself down in one of the hallway chairs, wishing there was something I could do. Dad walked over, handing me a cup of hot chocolate. "Here son."

I took the cup, but didn't drink. The steam started to fog up my glasses, and a lump rose in my throat. My phone buzzed in my pocket with a text, but I was too upset to check it right away. I just wanted to know how Aelita was. Five minutes passed, then ten. Two more nurses entered the room, then one left. Another ten minutes passed, and two more nurses left, and Dr. Schroeder followed, stopping in front of us. "She's fine for now. Just a little stress."

"Stress?" I stared at him. "How can someone sleeping be stressed?"

He shrugged. "She may have had a bad dream or so. Something that freaked her out."

I sighed, glad that she was okay. He left and I decided to check my phone. It was a text from Ulrich. _Supercomputer has been turned on. Stuck in the elevator. Help._ I stared at the phone, not sure of what I was reading. The supercomputer couldn't have been on. And what was he doing in the elevator so late at night? I looked at my watch, realizing how late it was.

_Are you okay?_ I texted, my fingers moving furiously over the small keyboard. Instead of another text, my phone rang in reply. I answered it, not sure of what I was going to here.

"Finally!" Ulrich shouted before I could say hello. "I've been stuck here for almost half an hour."

"What are you doing at the factory?" I got up, walking away from the adults surrounding me.

"Taking a trip down memory lane," he replied. "I guess it's a good thing I did, because I found out the supercomputer's been turned on."

"But that isn't possible. Who could've done that."

"I don't know Jeremie, but I have a bad feeling about Antea and her sudden appearance. I think you should keep her away from Aelita."

"You're right," I answered, looking back at the pink haired woman. "Don't mention this to Aelita either. She's under enough stress."

"Good point." He let out a heavy sigh. "Hey, Jeremie, I need you to do one last thing."

"Sure."

"Come get me out of the elevator!"

**Codelyokocodelyokocodelyoko**

I climbed down the ladder of the elevator shaft, trying to ignore the pain in my wrists. It took everything I had to keep from falling. My hands throbbed, threatening to let go of the bar. The elevator was stuck a good way down, meaning if I fell, I would've ended up seriously injured. Odd had refused to answer his phone, and I didn't blame him. He was tired, maybe more so than the rest of us. As I continued the climb, I made a silent promise to treat him to the biggest meal I could afford once all this mess was over.

My foot tapped the cold metal of the elevator, and I leapt down, crawling over to the escape door. I slid it open, looking down. Ulrich sat in the corner, looking incredibly bored. "Hey there!" I greeted, sounding sarcastically cheerful. He looked up at me, giving me one of his lazy grins.

"What took you so long?"

"This." I shuffled around in my bag for the rope I had grabbed from the garden shed. "I can't really pull you up myself," I mumbled, looking at my sore wrists. Ulrich didn't say anything, but held one end of the rope while I tied the other to a ladder bar.

"Jeremie?"

"Yeah I heard it." I grasped the bar as I continued tying a tight knot. The elevator creaked loudly, and there was a jerk below me. "Hurry, Ulrich. Climb up the rope or it'll take you down."

My heart beat loudly, hoping Ulrich would make it before the elevator gave out. He appeared at the trapdoor, but I was too afraid to go help him. There was another loud creak, followed by the sickening feeling of the elevator falling from beneath us. Ulrich, who had managed to twist the rope around his wrist, fell only a few feet before colliding with the shaft walls.

"Are you okay?" I called, clinging to the ladder.

"Yeah," he groaned. "Let's get out of here."

"Not yet," I replied, starting the downward journey once more. "We need to get to the lab to figure out what's going on."

Ulrich sighed, letting his head hit the wall. "I just want to go home and go to bed. First that stupid session with Simone and then being stuck in an elevator."

I stopped, looking down at him. "You mean Mr. Simone, the school counselor? What are you seeing him for?"

"Mr. Delmas is making Odd and I go see him after that stunt you pulled. He said that if we didn't get our feelings out we'd be sent home to our parents." He climbed down the ladder, not looking at me. I knew his personal life was something that was hard for him to talk about, and I was glad he wasn't dodging questions and actually talking to me.

"I'm sorry for what I did," I muttered, struggling.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ulrich looked up at me.

"Yeah," I groaned. "It's like my hands are asleep, I can't really use them. If we hurry I can make it."

"I can carry you if you need."

"No, I can do this!" I didn't mean to snap, but the thought of needing him to help made me feel worthless. I was tired of feeling like that.

It seemed like forever until we reached the lab door. Ulrich quickly typed in the code and I ran inside the room, glad to be out of the shaft. I rubbed my wrists, wincing against the pain. "Are you sure you're okay?" Ulrich asked, looking at the slightly bloodied bandages. I nodded, walking over to the computer and hitting a key to wake it up.

"I don't understand." I opened up the surveillance files. "What day did Antea appear?"

"About a week ago? Maybe five days ago. Somewhere around there." Ulrich scratched his head, trying to remember. I rewound the tape, stopping at the slightest movement. "There's a lot of rats around here," Ulrich said after the third one passed on the screen.

"There!" I stopped the tape, pointing at the screen. "What is that?"

"It looks like a man?"

I zoomed in. A man who looked to be in his sixties was on the screen, turning on the computer. I switched cameras, watching him work on the computer, typing away at the very keyboard I was using. He got up, and in another camera he was seen in the scanner room. I inhaled, almost expecting Antea to appear in a scanner. It wasn't her though. "Ulrich? Who does that look like to you?"

"That looks like…Franz Hopper?"

"That's what I thought."

"But that isn't possible. That guy just waltzed in here, turned on the computer, and materialized Franz Hopper just like that?"

"This is getting to be a little much," I growled, staring at the screen. "Look, this all happened a few months ago. Around the time Aelita started getting sick."

"Think it has anything to do with it?" Ulrich asked.

"I don't know. I'm going to run a scan just in case." I typed furiously, trying to ignore the freeze-framed face of Franz Hopper on my screen. "I almost forgot how to do all this."

"We destroyed XANA though."

"And Franz Hopper died sacrificing himself to do it. If he's still alive then maybe XANA is too."

**Am I the only one that actually liked the gang's fourth season Earth outfits? I thought they made them look older, especially Aelita's and Ulrich's. Even William's. I mean, Jeremie's and Odd's and Yumi's didn't really change, but they were still cool. More detailed and stuff. I think the people who complain about them are also the people who are complaining about the live action. They just don't like change. The only thing I don't like in Evolution is Aelita's clothing style. Just doesn't seem like the cute girly outfits that she usually is seen in. Of course neither is her Subdigital's concert outfit. Anyways! Review and let me know what you think! I love hearing from my readers, even if it's just a one word reply.**


	22. Chapter 22

**(Aelita's POV)**

I hurt. Everywhere. My hair was completely gone, and though it bothered me that I was bald, I didn't try to hide it. I was too tired to let my self esteem issues get to me. Besides, everyone said I was still beautiful, and even though I didn't really believe them, it helped. The sun hurt my eyes so it was always dark in my room anymore. The pain in my chest seemed to come and go, though it wasn't as bad as it had been. The doctors were amazed at my progress, though I knew I was getting better because my mother was helping me fight.

She currently sat in the corner chair, reading a book as she always did. She loved reading. When she sensed that I was awake, she marked her place and set the book aside. "How are you feeling today, Lita?" she asked as she did every morning.

"Better," I replied weakly. I wasn't strong enough to sit up on my own, but mother always adjusted the bed for me. "Tell me a story," I asked. It had almost become routine. "I have so few memories of my past life, and I love to hear you tell me about it."

She smiled. "I don't have any stories in mind right now, darling. Would you try eating for me though? Odd brought some food, you might enjoy it."

I looked towards the table. Though I was incredibly hungry, the thought of food made my stomach turn. "No thanks. Maybe later."

Mother sighed, sitting next to me. "Aelita, there's something we need to talk about."

I grew nervous, and it showed on the heart monitor. While there were few things I remembered about my past, my mother's serious voice was one of them, and it was never good. "What is it?"

"Aelita, I never expected to find you so young. I never even expected to find you alive. I saw a concert poster a few months ago and recognized you immediately. I don't know what I'm going to do now, how I can manage to take care of you. When the government took me, they took everything. The money I had, the papers that made me a citizen. I can't find a job anywhere, I don't have a home, or the money to support you and keep you in school with your friends."

My heart was beating loud now. _'Why are you telling me this, Mommy? This isn't the time to do this…'_

"Aelita, I hate to ask this of you, but," she was biting her lower lip, her face growing steadily pale. "If you tell me where your father is, and help me to turn him over to the FBI, then you and I can be a family. I'll get everything back. We'll go and live in the mountains like when you were a little girl."

I couldn't breathe. What she was asking was so heartless, so unlike my mother. "I can't do that. We're family. We were anyways. He's my father and I won't turn him over."

"Aelita, you have to. It's either turn him over and gain your mother back or keep hiding him and lose us both." She reached towards me to hug me, but I pushed her away with what little strength I had.

"I'm not doing it!" I screamed. "It's not fair!" My screams turned into tears, then coughing, before the machines went off and the doctors pushed my mother out of the room. "She…can't…make me," I sobbed between coughs. A mask was once again forced over my face. It wasn't fair. She couldn't ask me to do that. My mother wouldn't ask that of me. She loved my father.

**Really short, but I just need to get back into writing this. I really want to finish what I started.**


	23. Chapter 23

**(Odd's POV)**

It seemed like no matter what, Aelita was always getting worse. Someone was doing something wrong, or saying something wrong, and it was always two steps forward and three steps back. After the incident with Anthea, nobody was allowed to see her. The doctors blamed all of us, saying we weren't careful enough. They wouldn't let Aelita wake up. They called it a medically induced coma. Now we were left to watch her sleep behind a sheet of glass.

Ulrich's heart was broken. Though he wouldn't say anything, we all knew it. He sat on the floor in front of the large window, staring blankly into her room. He refused to talk to Anthea. He blamed her. She wouldn't tell us what she said or did to upset Aelita so much, but I could tell she was hurting too. "I just want us to be a family," was her only response.

"Odd?" Jeremie walked towards where I was sitting in one of the hall chairs. "Has anything changed?"

I shook my head. "They aren't going to let us see her."

Jeremie sighed. "I don't have any news on the footage from the lab. Everything seems to have just stopped. I don't have any leads, Aelita's condition isn't getting any better or worse." He sighed, throwing himself into the chair next to mine. "This isn't fair."

I stared at the floor in front of me. Nothing was fair anymore. "There's no chance Lyoko might have some answers?"

Jeremie shook his head. "It just isn't that type of problem, Odd."

I looked over at Anthea, lowering my voice. "What about answers about her? I mean, we can't find anything on Franz, but maybe we're looking at the wrong person. I don't know, Jeremie, something seems off about her and I don't really like it. She wouldn't even tell us what she did to set Aelita off, and that's something we deserve to know."

Jeremie shrugged. "I wouldn't even know where to begin to look for information about her. She won't even tell us where she's been all this time."

As if she could hear us, Anthea looked in our direction. Her face was blank, void of emotion, and her eyes seemed dead. Something just wasn't right about her. "Maybe she's possessed by XANA?"

"Don't be ridiculous. XANA has nothing to do with this." I saw him rub his wrist, wincing a little.

"Why'd you do it?" I asked quietly, staring at the bandages. He pulled at his sleeves to cover them up, and I knew instantly to change the subject. "You don't know that it can't be XANA. The supercomputer was turned back on and all of a suddenly Aelita's family shows up, Ulrich gets trapped in the elevator, and Aelita gets worse."

"The elevator just gets older every day, this thing was bound to get stuck eventually," Jeremie replied, "and Aelita isn't going to get better over night."

I pouted. "Fine, but even you can't come up with an explanation for Franz and Anthea."

"Easy," he responded with a look of smugness. "Someone released Franz via another supercomputer and when the government found traces of him they in turn released Anthea."

"That doesn't make any sense at all."

"What are you boys talking about?" Anthea asked, walking over to us. Jeremie and I couldn't help but stare silently. I didn't want to be rude, or to seem like we were up to something, but I just had a bad feeling about her.

"Talking about video games," Jeremie replied coolly. "No offense, but if I have my math right, video games are a little after your time."

Anthea gave a small smile. "I helped design Lyoko. Is that not a sort of video game?"

"Not very advanced compared to what we have now."

As if she finally got the hint, she turned and walked away, returning to her place next to the glass wall that separated her from her daughter. Ulrich remained unmoving.

"Any word on Yumi?" I asked suddenly, realizing she was missing from the picture.

"Her parents are super protective now. I don't get the chance to talk to her very much, but they almost never let her out of the house without someone with her."

"That's not very fair! William was the only threat and he's locked away."

Jeremie shrugged. "I think she's better off at home. She needs to rest and relax after what happened."

I moaned. If anything, she needed to be with her friends. She needed to be near Aelita in case it was the last she would see of her. "I can't wait until Aelita gets better. I miss the old her."

"I do too," Jeremie responded quietly.


End file.
